Best TV 2023: The best affordable and premium sets

With the L2000, Panasonic has produced its best flagship OLED yet. In the words of our reviewer, the TV redefines what is possible from a home cinema TV with superb image quality and impressive Dolby Atmos sound.

It includes the OLED EX panel from LG Display but is still made to Panasonic’s custom specifications. And though the brightness we measured (966 nits in Standard mode) was not as bright as the LG G2 or Samsung S95B, the LZ2000 produces a uniformly more brighter average picture level, making all types of content pop off the screen.

The advantage the LZ2000 holds over most TV brands is that it supports all HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive. The image quality is finely-tuned for bright and dark rooms with the help of the TV’s light sensor. We also found colour volume was improved with blue colours, which has often been an issue with WRGB OLED panels. The low light performance is better too, with more detail visible in the darker areas of the image.

Freeview Play adds all mainstream catch-up TV needs, and the breadth of apps available has grown with Disney+ and Apple TV+ added.

The Panasonic LZ2000 isn’t just a TV for home cinema. With a measured input lag of 14.5ms, it’s a commendable performance and the new Game Control board presents the ability to optimise gaming settings. The TV supports HDMI 2.1 technologies such as VRR, ALLM and 4K/120Hz, making it a high calibre set in a gaming sense, though short of the performance the LG C2 and G2 models offer.

Panasonic has once again upgraded the Dolby Atmos speaker system welded to the back of the TV. We found it offered the best performance yet from the 360° Soundscape Pro system, delivering width and height with Atmos soundtracks. If you own an existing home cinema system, then the LZ1500 is more your speed, but for those who want an all-in-one TV, Panasonic has raised its performance again.

The LZ2000 is only available in Europe and the UK, as Panasonic does not sell in North America, nor has it updated its Australian range in some time.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic LZ2000

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

While the first-gen QD-OLED model from Samsung was enjoyable, it didn’t quite live up to all the expectations that we had from the technology. 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 could, our reviewer measured the S95C OLED hitting 1400 nits on a 10% window. That’s impressive for an OLED TV.

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 bit of 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 that we found could use more work. It still feels sluggish to older, more compact versions and its not always easy to navigate through its menus, but its voice recognition is excellent and can bypass the issues caused by having to trek 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.

Overall, Samsung S95C is the best we’ve seen from the QD-OLED technology so far, besting Sony’s A95K from 2022. It’ll have tough competition from the LG G3, but at the moment the Samsung S95C OLED has put down a big marker.

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 with the G2 OLED, that crown falls to LG’s brightest OLED. It’s the same Gallery design with its uniformly flat rear panel for wall-mounting as before, but extra improvements to the panel with the OLED EX and OLED Evo processing have reaped an even brighter performance.

We measured the HDR performance on a 10% window to be just over 1000 nits, which is one of the brightest OLEDs we’ve tested. That’s better than the C2 though not as good as the Samsung S95B. 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 lower than 4K images is strong and motion has been improved – perhaps not up to the standard of Sony’s A95K or Panasonic LZ2000, but it is much smoother and less distracting.

For gaming the G2 is superior to almost every other non-LG TV on the market. HDMI 2.1 is supported 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. LG has also beefed up its clouding options with Nvidia GeForce NOW.

We measured input lag to be 12.9ms – better than the Panasonic LZ2000 though it doesn’t beat the Samsung S95B. With VRR in play that figure can be brought down to lower figures for more responsive gameplay.

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 actually sounded better with non-Atmos soundtracks offering more detail and dynamism. We’d recommend purchasing a soundbar to go with it, though note that the G2 cannot pass through DTS soundtracks, which is disappointing for home cinema enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65G2

Samsung’s QN900C is another spectacular 8K TV from the Korean brand. There’s still a death of native 8K content to enjoy, especially given the price premium of 8K over 4K TVs with this model priced at £6799 / $6299.

Samsung tries to get 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 at.

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 yet 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. 

If you have money to spare and are in the market for a high-end TV, the Samsung QN900C is a great buy.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QN900C

The QN95C replaces the QN95B Mini LED and for 2023 Samsung looks to close the gap between its Neo QLED LCD TVs and OLEDs even further. The biggest improvement with the QN95C can be found within its local dimming system.

Samsung has boosted the number of dimming zones from 720 to 1344, and this has affected everything from black levels, contrast to more precise brightness with HDR content. Our reviewer found that blooming, an issue where rings of light can appear around bright objects, has been significantly reduced from pretty much every viewing position. Unless you’re watching content from a very extreme angle, blooming is less of an issue that it has been with previous models.

Black levels hit OLED-levels of performance, and in terms of brightness the QN95B easily outpaces the likes of the Panasonic LZ2000 and the LG OLED65G2 with over 2000 nits of peak brightness on a 10% HDR window. Colours are bright, bold and wide-ranging, we found its performance upscaling HD and even 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 we found it remained a comparative disappointment with some unhelpful navigation choices. Some tweaks have been to place more helpful content on the ‘shelves’ 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 out of the box 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 than before. 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

With the C2 replacing the terrific C1, it is an OLED that’s pretty much its superior in every regard. The design has changed with the plinth the TV stands on smaller, which will help positioning the TV on smaller furniture. It also has the added benefit of making it easier to to trail cables in a less messy manner, especially helpful when adding a soundbar. The TV weighs much less than previous generations, making it easier to assemble.

Like previous LG TVs, it bears a comprehensive roster of gaming features with ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz HFR across all HDMI inputs, making it a better specc’d TV for gaming than the Samsung QN95B. Latency isn’t as fast as the Samsung model but with Game Boost and VRR engaged, latency falls to very low levels. Nvidia’s GeForce Now add its cloud streaming capabilities.

The C2 gets the brighter OLED evo panel that first arrived with the 2021 G1. Picture quality, as we’ve come to expect from LG, is fantastic. We found it expressive when describing contrast, the added brightness helps sell the difference between OLED’s inky blacks and bright objects on screen.

The Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail feature extracts some more detail out the darkest parts of an image, upscaling of HD sources can look stunning and motion is improved over the C1, though we still wouldn’t say it’s as capable as Sony’s A95K. This is the best C-series OLED yet for picture.

Audio is once again so-so, its Dolby Atmos performance is spacious, as well as being crisp and clear, but we found it lacked impact and heft, which is quite common for TVs. A soundbar would certainly help with in boosting the TV’s sound.

The LG C3 has been announced, but we are yet to learn of the significant differences between it and the C2. If the performance isn’t as great a step-up as expected, the C2 may be a better, affordable alternative.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65C2

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 having to purchase a soundbar, the OLED907 is the model in Philips’ range to get.

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 provided. This is good enough that some won’t feel the need to add a soundbar to the Philips.

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 can add 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.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Philips 55OLED907

For those in the market for a small-screen OLED, the market is beginning to stack up with a number of options, though arguably the LG OLED42C2 stands just ahead of other options.

LG’s smallest OLED features its OLED evo technology for better brightness, although it doesn’t feature the Brightness Booster found in bigger C2 models such as the 65-inch OLED. The design is smart and solid rather than eye-catching, and the size of the screen feels best suited to be seated on a desktop/flat surface rather than being wall-mounted. All the connections are side-facing though, which helps with plugging sources in.

The 42-inch C2 is great size for bedroom gaming, and it packs an enviable roster of features that outdoes its closest rival in the Panasonic LZ980. ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz are available across all the HDMI inputs whereas they are only available on two of the LZ980’s HDMI inputs. This offers more freedom in terms of where you can plug in your console and PC, and also means you won’t have to make decision between whether to plug a console or soundbar in as one of the LZ980’s inputs is shared with the eARC port.

HDMI VRR along with Nvidia and AMD’s VRR solutions are supported, with latency measured at 12.9ms. That’s not as fast as Samsung’s TVs but we found that to be a swift enough response, and with VRR in play that can fall to almost zero in terms of lag. The Game Optimiser helps tweak settings to optimise the TV’s performance for specific games.

The picture quality is arguably not as good as the Sony A90K, but we found that the LG delivered impressively natural looking images with a wide colour range, along with excellent levels of sharpness and detail for a 4K TV of its size. We measured brightness at around 700-750 nits, which is more than enough to bring out a sense of HDR colours and brightness. With Dolby Vision content this TV looks spectacular. It’s a pretty good upscale of lower quality content, its pixel density helps to cover some of the jagged edges and blurriness with 480p content in particular.

It’s also a decent-sounding TV too, delivering punchy bass and good levels of clarity, detail and sharpness. AI Sound Pro helps make Dolby Atmos content sounds bigger, but we wouldn’t suggest using it with non-Atmos content as we found it made audio sound shrill and sibilant.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED42C2

Both the 55- and 48-inch Philips OLED807 TVs make it onto this list because they offer great performance at their respective sizes.

The 48OLED807 is the first Philips OLED we’ve tested below 50-inches, and in our minds it offers a similar level of performance. It doesn’t sport the OLED EX panel to boost brightness further, so at first glance it’s peak brightness of 416 nits when dealing with smaller, bright objects, doesn’t look at that great; but the level of Philips’ processing combined with OLEDs class-leading black levels make for a brilliantly lush looking image, full of contrast.

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.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Philips 48OLED807

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.

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 very 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 precise and impactful with compatible 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