Best 8K TV 2023: The best ultra-high definition TVs

Samsung continues to be 8K’s biggest fan and in the QN900C it has produced another spectacular TV. At £6799 / $6299, it remains an expensive offering just like its QN900B predecessor, and even more especially as there is still a dearth of native 8K content to enjoy on an 8K TV.

So the main selling point about the QN900C is that it’ll make 4K and lesser quality video content much better through upscaling, and on this TV, pictures enjoy more density, smoother edges, and a better sense of three dimensionality. Given how much information the TV is having to make up to upscale to 8K resolution, our reviewer found it to be a stunningly impressive performance.

And it’s no slouch with HDR content either. We measured peak brightness at over 2000 nits, delivering richer and more vibrant images than the QN95C 4K TV can muster. It also produces images that are sharper and denser than its 4K counterpart, able to produce a higher level of brightness with black levels that approach the depth and consistency of OLED. We found there were still some backlight issues especially with bright objects set against dark backgrounds, but overall the QN900C does its best to minimise blooming.

Gaming on this screen is excellent, especially for those who want a premium performance from the PS5 and Xbox Series X. We observed gaming latency to be 10.5ms, which is fast in light of the 8K resolution you’re playing at. There’s VRR technology in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to help PC gamers, while all four of its HDMI inputs support 4K 120Hz gaming. The lack of Dolby Vision whether for films or gaming is disappointing, but we don’t imagine Samsung will be changing its tack anytime soon, and our reviewer did find that with HDR10 content, the Samsung’s tone mapping was good enough to negate the need for Dolby Vision.

The sound system is better than the usual flatscreen TV: clean, clear and well balanced with effects and dialogue matching their placement on screen. A bit more bass would have been nice, and the soundstage isn’t enough to meet the demands of a high quality Hollywood film, but we did enjoy listening to this Dolby Atmos compatible system.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900C

Much like it did with its flagship Neo QLED 4K TV, Samsung has taken the performance it unleashed in 2021 with its QE75QN900A 8K TV and improved upon it for the QE75QN900B.

Like its predecessor, it integrates a Mini LED backlit panel that offers brightness that 8K OLED such as the LG OLED77Z2 wouldn’t get any where near matching, reaching almost 5000 nits in the Dynamic picture mode and a still frankly impressive 2600 nits in the Standard preset. This outstanding level of brightness that feeds into the colour range, our reviewer impressed by the wide range of colours both for watching TV and playing games on the latest gen consoles.

Black levels are an improvement over the QN900A, and we feel better than any other LCD TV can muster at this moment in time. It can almost reach the levels of consistency that OLED produces, the backlight avoiding backlight clouding with bright objects against a dark background from a head-on position. Blooming does become more of an issue at wider viewing angles though, and bright highlights can dim more aggressively than on OLED sets.

With not much native 8K content available unless you like watching nature videos in 8K on YouTube, the 75QN900B’s upscaler a puts in an impressive shift with 4K sources and good quality HD content, though with heavily compressed sources we felt the TV’s processor couldn’t do much more than generate slightly soft images. We wouldn’t recommend feeding this TV with standard definition content if at all possible.

In terms of gaming, all the recent technologies are implemented, with four of its HDMI inputs able to handle 4K/120Hz, ALLM and VRR for game consoles, as well as AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for PC gamers. PC gamers also get the Ultra Wide GameView that elongates the image to 21:9 or 32:9 ratios, and Xbox Game Pass is supported. We measured input lag at a rapier fast 9ms, which is the class of the field.

The 75QN900B’s smarts are provided by a new version of Samsung’s Tizen interface, although our reviewed found that while the amount of content provided remains outstanding, this new interface was a step backwards with its less intuitive navigation system and less than help choices for content curation.

We don’t often expect from a TV’s speakers, but the QE75QN900B does a good enough job with its eight woofers and OTS+ sound system with Dolby Atmos support. The OTS system places effects onscreen with admirable accuracy, with the woofers providing a decent amount of bass though unlike Sony’s Surface Acoustic audio system, the QN900B doesn’t push sound into the room.

It has been replaced by the new QN900C, which we feel offers even better performance in terms of upscaling and backlight control. But Samsung’s aggressive pricing has made it more affordable, and thus it stays on this list if you’re looking a big-screen TV at a less expensive price.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900B

The Samsung QE65QN900A is still on the market two years after it first went on sale, and serves as a great choice if you’re looking for an 8K model in the 65-inch bracket.

Its upscaling is particularly top-class with some incredibly vibrant colours alongside immensely detailed shots, with clarity beyond what any native 4K TV could manage. Alongside the brilliant upscaling comes some impressive contrast with OLED-level deep blacks, complete with very little backlight bleed or blooming, instances where the brighter parts of the image ‘leak’ into the darker parts.

The brightness on offer here is especially vibrant thanks to the Mini LED backlight. We measured around 2000 nits, which helped to make colours especially varied. The only real issue with the QE65QN900A’s panel is its handling of motion. Turn on the Auto Motion Plus feature and there’s stuttering alongside a processed, glossy look. If you don’t care for processing you can turn it off, of course.

The QN900A’s frame is a slender one with a depth of just 15.2mm thanks to the Mini LED-backlight, and there isn’t a noticeable bezel thanks to Samsung’s Infinity Screen which allows images to grace the entire screen. Tizen OS offers a simple and familiar user experience with a good range of streaming apps well-represented including Disney+, BBC iPlayer and NOW. There isn’t Freeview Play here, but Samsung’s TV Plus is a free-to-watch alternative.

Gamers out there will be particularly pleased with the QN900A’s assortment of four HDMI 2.1 ports that allow for 4K/120Hz for smoother, more responsive gameplay with compatible games. We measured input lag 10.1ms, which is super-fast and with VRR in play input lag can be close to zero with this TV. This TV is available a year on from release at a more affordable price, but there is also the QN800B model that’s available for similar money.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN900A

The LG 75QNED99 sits as the flagship offering within the Korean manufacturer’s 8K TV line-ups.

Its contrast is spectacular thanks to its Mini LED backlight that provided an experience that compares well against OLED. On top of this, LG’s NanoCell colour tech provides some marvellous images that are wonderfully rich and vibrant, the Mini LED panel allowing higher brightness though not as bright as the Samsung models on this list as we measured it to be just shy of 1200 nits. That’s still ahead of the brightest OLED TVs, and means you’re getting some immense looking colours.

The 8K resolution wrings out outstanding fine detail from images with upscaling also particularly good, as images appear natural with no exaggeration or unwanted noise. Motion is a forte of this TV too, with the new Cinematic Motion mode alleviating the worst forms of panel judder or motion blur without causing the overall image to look too processed.

There are some useful functional improvements to the interface with webOS is perfectly usable, and the marvellous new content search feature proving comprehensive. The redesigned Magic Remote feels especially comfortable to use.

The 75QNED99 isn’t the best option for gamers compared to the Samsung QN900C. Even with support for HDMI 2.1 there’s a lack of VRR options, which is strange considering how feature-packed LG’s TVs usually are for gaming.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: LG 75QNED99

There aren’t many 8K OLEDs on the scene, and the ones that are available come from LG. If you love the picture quality delivered by OLED and have deep pockets to afford it, then the OLED77Z2 should be on your wishlist.

It does accrue a high asking price at $9999 / £11,999, which in our opinion doesn’t make it the best value 8K TV available especially with Samsung aggressively slashing the price for its QN900B and Sony’s 85-inch Z9K starting at £9499. Nonetheless, you get the typical high quality construction from LG with the Z2 exuding a minimalist vibe and minimalist bezel that ensures the screen is the main focus.

And at this size it is an epic viewing experience, the scale of the content we watched on the OLED amped up by its 77-inch size. Picture quality, however, didn’t feel a big step from LG’s 4K OLEDs; brightness is around the same performance as the LG C2 OLED while sharpness and detail levels appeared better with the 65-inch G2 model. The Z2’s performance with Dolby Vision content is rich and quite beautiful at times, while its motion processing has improved to be more natural and with few noticeable artefacts and detail levels are high, especially with good quality 4K content, but it lacks the degree of sharpness and clarity that Samsung’s 8K LCD TVs can dig up.

The smart experience is much the same as what you’ll find on the rest of LG’s webOS tellies, with a wide range of apps to enjoy, lots of connectivity options and a new Gaming Shelf that promotes cloud gaming apps such as Nvidia GeForce NOW. A less welcome change is the decision to lock some apps such as YouTube behind sign-up for an LG account, a decision we hope LG will reverse in time.

On the gaming front you’re not short of options with cloud gaming apps, Dolby Vision gaming (with Xbox Series consoles) as well as 4K/120Hz, 8K/60Hz, VRR and ALLM supported across all HDMI inputs. We measured input lag at 13.5ms, which is not as fast as the 75QN900B but with VRR support that will drop down to even lower figures.

The audio performance is better than either the G2 or C2: clearer, sharper and able to conjure up a better stereo image. Bass is more punchy than weight, but this is a decent enough sound system for flatscreen TV. You will want to upgrade to a external sound system can do the scale of the images on screen justice.