The best OLED TVs on the market today deliver beautiful image quality because of the self-lighting pixels that define this kind of technology. What these pixels allow for is rich, precise contrast for HDR in a way that even the best LCD TVs can’t match. That means they deliver an incredible cinematic picture that brings you more detail in darker areas of the screen than you’ll ever get from an LCD TV.
With one of the best OLED TVs, many of which are among the best TVs on the market, you’ll also find a starker contrast between light and dark, which is similar to the laser projection in movie theaters – especially if you buy a larger TV, like one of the best 65-inch TVs or best 75-inch TVs. Big TV brands, such as LG and Sony, use OLED tech in their premium TVs. Even Samsung, a TV company that had previously been holding out on OLED, has now entered the OLED TV space in a big way… at the time of writing, it makes our top-ranked OLED! Now that’s an entrance.
We’ve been testing TVs since long before the first OLED made it to market, watching the technology get better, more popular and more affordable over the years. This guide is based on our own testing and reviews of these products, comparing them to each other, and regular LED or mini-LED TVs you can find at the same prices. We’re judging them based not just on picture quality, but also the features they offer, and how that balances with the price.
For more about how OLED TV tech works and why it can be such a big upgrade for your home theater game, read our ‘What is OLED?‘ guide. But here’s the short version: OLED TVs deliver stunningly deep blacks and incredibly precise colors, and the latest flagship models deliver stunning HDR brightness to compete with mini-LED TVs.
Matt Bolton
Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he’s in charge of persuading our team to watch the latest movies on gorgeous TVs as well as listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. Right now, Matt’s working his way through all the Black Friday sales to work out the best buys and collecting them in our guide to the best Black Friday OLED TV deals – and there’s a lot of them! That includes record-low prices on the Samsung S90C, LG C3 and LG B3, so be sure not to miss them.
The quick list
Want to get straight to the best OLED TV for your needs? Use our quick round-up below to immediately find an OLED that suits you – and you can read more about it by jumping to our full write-ups and explanations using the links.
The best OLED TV for most people
This bright and stunning OLED TV brings you brighter pictures and top gaming tech at the same price as dimmer mid-range OLEDs, making it excellent value.
The best budget OLED
The cheapest TV here by a long way, the LG A2 cuts back on gaming features and brightness to get there. It is still ideal for movie lovers on a budget, thanks to OLED’s rich contrast.
The best premium OLED
If you want an OLED TV that has outstanding picture quality, excellent gaming features and a stunning design, and are willing to pay a bit more for it, the Samsung S95C is for you.
The best cheaper gaming OLED
If you want an OLED with 120Hz and VRR for next-gen gaming at a more affordable price, and that has beautiful image quality overall, this is for you.
The best OLED TV for sizes
This isn’t as bright and doesn’t sound as good as the S90C at the top our list, but it’s still an excellent performer, and comes in the biggest range of sizes, from small to huge.
The best mid-tier OLED TV for sound
Sony’s clever tech turns the screen itself into a huge speaker here, giving you much clearer audio than the likes of the LG C2. A great pick if you don’t want to add a soundbar.
The best OLED TVs in 2023
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The best OLED TV for most people
BUY IT IF
✅ You want QD-OLED’s premium strengths for less: This TV unlocks a higher level of brightness and color depth than other OLED TVs at the same price.
✅ You like gaming as much as movies: There’s support for 4K 120Hz imagery over all four HDMIs, variable refresh rates, auto low latency mode switching, sub-10ms latency and more.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ You want higher brightness:
The S90C doesn’t deliver as much brightness as Samsung’s step-up S95C QD-OLED TV (#4 in this list) does, or that the LG G3 does.
❌ You want Dolby Vision: Samsung doesn’t support the Dolby Vision premium HDR format, which is frustrating.
The Samsung S90C is our top pick for most people. LG’s C-series of OLEDs has domination this place for a long time, but the S90C is brighter and sounds better than the LG C3 (#6 on the list) for essentially the same price, so it’s better value. It comes with a great range of connectivity options and gaming support, with full 4K 120Hz and variable refresh rate gaming graphics across all four of its HDMI ports.
It has the same Samsung Neural Quantum 4K processor that the flagship S95C QD-OLED TVs does, which makes for refined, natural looking images. This uses 20 neural networks to introduce multiple ‘AI’-based refinements to the way the TV treats incoming sources – including better upscaling of HD and SD content to the screen’s native 4K resolution.
Picture quality is stunningly bright here, measured at over 1,000 nits by us, presenting you with stunningly contrast-rich pictures even by OLED standards. The S90C might not give you the 1,400-nit brightness experience you get with Samsung’s S95C, but it still manages unlock a higher level of brightness and color depth than other OLEDs at the same price – the LG C3 is around 800 nits, by comparison. It also joins most of the other OLED TVs in this list in being watchable from almost any viewing position.
Design-wise, the Samsung S90C has an incredibly thin panel, especially at its edges. It’s a little chunkier in the middle because that’s where its external connections/processing box is. It’s still a beautiful looking set, especially since the side house an impressive speaker array.
Read our full Samsung S90C review
The best budget OLED TV
BUY IT IF
✅ You want a budget OLED TV: The A2 offers OLED picture quality without putting such a big dent into your bank account.
✅ You want a great TV for watching movies:
Despite being a budget OLED, the A2 series will delight movie fans with its great overall performance.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ You want to watch in a bright room: If you plan to use your TV a lot during the day, a brighter OLED (which basically all the rest) will beat reflections better.
❌ You’re a gamer: It provides gaming-related features but lacks major gaming features like 120Hz support.
LG’s A2 series TVs are the firm’s cheapest OLED offerings, and while they’re not quite as feature-rich as their more expensive stablemates they still deliver a lot of TV for the money. LG’s OLED panels are wonderful things with superb color and contrast. While the panel isn’t as bright as the ones in more expensive LG TVs, it’s still very good for the clarity it delivers. It also has LG’s webOS smart TV operating system, which we think is the best in the business.
The A2 series is outfitted with LG’s Alpha 7 Gen 5 AI Processor, which first appeared in the company’s 2021 models and provides features such as dynamic tone mapping and 5.1.2-channel sound upmixing. The Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats are all supported by the A2 series, along with Dolby Vision IQ and HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group). Its Filmmaker mode delivers accurate color and motion settings, and also shuts off any automatic processing that would change the picture from the way a movie’s director originally intended for it to be presented.
Overall, the A2 series is relatively low on features compared to both LG’s other OLED TVs and the best 4K TVs generally. The main differences are in gaming-related specs such as HDMI 2.1 inputs, a 120Hz display, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and FreeSync, all of which are available on the company’s step up B2 series TVs. If you don’t require gaming features though, this is a very impressive and affordable TV.
Read our full LG A2 review
The best premium OLED TV
BUY IT IF
✅ You want a bright OLED picture: The S95C offers class leading brightness for OLED TVs, thanks to its QD-OLED technology.
✅ You like a slim design: The miniscule screen trim, ultra-slim rear and external connections box make it an incredibly elegant TV.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ Dolby Vision is a must: Samsung continues to have no truck with Dolby’s popular premium HDR format.
❌ Mini-LED suits you more: If you have a particularly bright room, even the much-improved brightness here won’t satisfy your TV needs.
The Samsung S95C provides everything you could want in an OLED TV: stunning colors and contrast, plenty of gaming features including 144hz, VRR, ALLM and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, packaged in a beautiful, slim design that looks incredible on any surface. Overall, the Samsung S95C is a real winner. For all this though, you are going to have to pay a more premium price, but for those with the budget this TV is worth it.
One of the Samsung S95C’s real highlights is its vibrant colors. In our full review, we said “the vibrancy of the S95C’s colours doesn’t stop it from also delivering stellar levels of tonal subtlety and finesse, though, ensuring that not even the most exuberant tone looks flat or cartoonish”. It’s this ability to strike a balance between bright HDR highlights and rich black levels that give it one of the best pictures around.
It does struggle a bit with its motion processing, it lacks Dolby Vision HDR support, and we recommend tweaking the presets to get the best image, but when it comes to spectacle, or simply having an OLED that’s more visible in a bright room during the day, the S95C is astounding.
When you throw in sound that follows what’s happening on screen, comprehensive streaming support, and support for all the latest HDMI 2.1 gaming features mentioned above, it’s absolutely one of the best TVs available today.
Read our full Samsung S95C review
The best cheaper OLED gaming TV
BUY IT IF
✅ You want an excellent OLED picture: You’ll get vivid colors, excellent contrast and deep black levels that rival OLEDs at the premium end of the TV market.
✅ You are a gamer: Offering stellar game performance coupled with stunning picture quality, it’s a no-brainer for gaming on a budget.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ You want the best built-in sound: Sadly, the B3’s sound doesn’t match its picture quality, with an uneven mix in most sound modes.
❌ You need HDR10+ support: Like all LG TVs, the LG B3 does not support HDR10+, despite supporting Dolby Vision and HDR10.
The LG B3 is easily the best OLED TV choice for gamers looking for a more affordable 120Hz OLED TV than the other models here. Thanks to excellent picture quality, smooth motion processing and an extremely useful Game Optimizer feature, the B3 is certainly a TV that gamers should consider if they want OLED gaming on a budget. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t come with HDMI 2.1 across all four HDMI ports, but many will be fine with that anyway.
Audio performance isn’t hugely impressive, although that’s expected at this price – you’re definitely going to want a soundbar to go with it – but the picture quality is impressive with exceptional contrast, great HDR and punchy, vibrant colors.
Value-wise, LG’s B-series TVs are among its more affordable models, offering a step up in specification from the even cheaper A series without massively increasing the price. Inevitably some compromises have been made to get the price down, so the B3 is less bright than the LG C3, let along the Samsung S90C or the mighty S95C. However, it offers a decent specification for a very good price – including an excellent set of HDMI 2.1 gaming features including 120Hz, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM), and more.
Read our full LG B3 review
The best OLED TV for sizes
BUY IT IF
✅ You want a versatile OLED TV: With a vivid, detailed picture, great gaming features and an array of sizes, the C3 covers a lot of bases.
✅ You like an intuitive smart TV platform: webOS 23 by LG is a much improved, streamlined version of its 2022 smart platform.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ You want the brightest OLED TV possible: The Samsung S90C is brighter for around the same price, and the S95C is much brighter.
❌ You want to save money: The LG B3 is very impressive for notably cheaper, though has fewer sizes.
The LG C3 is our top pick if you’re looking for an OLED TV that doesn’t just offer a cutting-edge range of features, but it packs all of those features into TVs at more sizes than other OLEDs, from a small 42-inch to a large 83-inch option.
The newest LG C3 model is very slightly brighter than the previous LG C2 version, and also seems to handle contrast better in the processing – but more importantly is even more future-proofed and easy to use.
The smart TV software is excellent and makes it much easier to find what you actually want, while also putting key settings (that you choose) in a Quick Menu, so you can tweak what the TV’s doing easily. It’s fully equipped for next-gen gaming on all four HDMI ports, with 4K 120Hz, VRR and (this is rare) Dolby Vision gaming for Xbox.
And it throws in new features such as Quick Media Switching, so external devices can change frame rate or you can move between HDMI ports without the traditional TV feeling that the whole thing is about to fall over. And LG’s new Wow Orchestra feature means the TV’s speakers can work with compatible LG soundbar’s speakers, instead of being replaced by them, for even better results – we tested it, and it’s impressive.
If you want the absolute peak of smart TV features and you’re looking for a smaller or larger size than what’s on offer from rivals, then the C3 should be your pick.
Read our full LG C3 review
The best OLED TV for sound
BUY IT IF
✅ You want an OLED TV that loves films as much as you do: Serious home theater fans will love the incredible 4K clarity, beautiful light control and peerless color refinement.
✅ You want powerful and immersive built-in audio:
Sound is pushed directly forward into your room and effects are placed with accuracy for a more impactful experience.
DON’T BUY IT IF
❌ You have a bright room: The latest QD-OLED or MLA OLED TVs can provide massively higher brightness.
❌ You want all the latest gaming features:
Only two of the A80L’s HDMIs support 4K at 120Hz with VRR, and the TV can’t support Dolby Vision at 4K 120Hz at all.
The Sony A80L is a mid-range OLED and direct competitor to the LG C3 (though it’s slightly cheaper than that TV in some countries) that delivers all the essentials for an OLED TV: detailed blacks, well-saturated color, and 4K 120Hz support for gaming. The icing on the cake is Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech, which uses actuators to turn the screen itself into a speaker, combined with two subwoofers for a fuller range. This is that rare thing, a TV that doesn’t have us recommending a soundbar as a must-have: it’s impressively loud and does a great job of matching the positioning of sounds to what’s on the screen.
The image quality is astounding too – especially when it comes to natural-feeling detail. Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR is a step above anything else when it comes to creating super-sharp 4K images from streamed content that doesn’t feel over-sharpened, and nothing makes sub-4K video look as good. Color and contrast are excellent handled too, especially nuance in dark tones. The one downside is that it isn’t very bright – basically, for movie lovers watching in darkened room, it’s wonderful, but in a light room it’ll get overwhelmed by reflections.
It’s a good gaming set too, especially for PS5 owners, thanks to its ‘Perfect for PS5’ features, which include better handling of HDR and auto mode-switching for different genres when playing on the console. It’s a shame that only two of its four HDMI ports support full HDMI 2.1 features, though – you get four HDMI 2.1 ports from most LG TVs, or the Samsung OLED models.
Read our full Sony A80L review
How to choose an OLED TV
How to choose the best OLED TV for you
OLED TVs tend to be premium TVs, which means you’re getting a certain level of features in almost all of them – they’re all 4K, they’re mostly 120Hz for gaming, for example, and they tend to all have four HDMI ports, and premium smart TV software.
But they’re absolutely not all the same. Some are much brighter than others (around twice as bright, in some cases), some have more HDMI 2.1 ports for next-gen gaming, some have better sound systems, and they don’t all come in the same size options.
It’s important to consider what size TV is best for you, and to do that you’ll literally need to measure the space you have to work with. Remember a TV that fills every available scrap of space in your living room might sound like a great idea, but you’ll need to consider viewing angles, screen brightness and whether you’ll be able to sit a decent distance from the TV to fully appreciate it. The LG C2 and C3 have the widest range of sizes of any TV we feature, so if you need something smaller, that’s a great place to start.
When it comes to HDR support, we recommend mostly that people choose TVs with Dolby Vision, because it’s the most commonly used advanced HDR format on the best streaming services. Samsung TVs only use HDR10+, which is similar technology, but not as well supported. It’s not a dealbreaker that Samsung’s TVs don’t support Dolby Vision, but as you’ll see in our list, we prefer sets that include it.
How much do OLED TVs cost?
The cost of OLED TVs varies hugely depending on what technologies are thrown in with an OLED panel, such as the resolution, processor, build quality, built-in speakers, and more. But suffice to say that entry-level models sit around (or, more recently, just under) the $1,000 / £900 / AU$1,500 mark.
More mid-tier OLEDs at larger sizes (65 inches and above) can double that figure, or triple it when you’re looking at the cutting-edge high-end panels. You might also notice that you don’t get that much of a lower price with the smaller 42-inch sizes of OLED TV – that’s because making them so small relies on relatively new tech, so they’re not quite such good value per inch.
Sales periods such as Prime Day or Black Friday tend to include lots of discounts on OLED TV models, though – especially from LG and Samsung.
Should I buy OLED or QLED?
OLED isn’t the only option for savvy TV buyers. Samsung’s competing QLED televisions outperform for brightness, while the introduction of Mini LED backlights has only improved peak light output and overall contrast – the areas that OLED generally has the upper hand with, thanks to its per-pixel brightness control.
It’s a tighter race than ever, then, though it’s worth assessing secondary characteristics for OLED and QLED screens. An OLED with a cheap processor may cause more artefacts and video noise, while a QLED with edge-lighting won’t get the true benefit of its enhanced color and contrast. Format or feature support can be crucial if you’re hooking up your TV to a PC, a games console, or a 4K Blu-ray player too.
What is the lifespan of an OLED TV?
According to LG Display, the makers of the OLED panels that go into every OLED TV on the list – around 100,000 hours. For most folks that’s about 10 years of TV watching and far exceeds the 40,000 to 60,000-hour lifespans of most LED-LCD TVs. That said, OLED TVs can experience something called burn-in when a static image is left on the screen for prolonged periods of time – so be sure to change the channel every few days.
Best OLED TV competitors: what else is out there?
OLED is, for many, the premium TV tech of the moment. Though once weighed down by inaccessible price points, a flurry of cheaper mid-range OLEDs and smaller panel sizes has helped bring OLED closer to the mass market.
Samsung and Sony’s current TV lineups include QD-OLED hybrids (they combine OLED panels with quantum dot tech, utilising the self-emissive properties of the former and color enhancements of the latter) – we have a separate guide to whether you should buy a Samsung OLED TV, if you want to read more about them.
For those with cash to splash, you’ll be choosing between a high-end OLED TV and Micro LED – a self-emissive panel technology that Samsung has leant into in recent times, but which has proved difficult to offer either affordably or at mainstream sizing (88-inch is the smallest we’ve heard about so far, as of 2023).
It’s a more complicated picture than simply OLED, then, though for deep blacks and true-to-life color – at a size you can actually get into the average living room – OLED may still be the best choice.
Is burn-in a problem in OLED TVs?
Burn-in, also known as screen burn or permanent image retention, is a visual artefact that sometimes appears when a TV has shown the same thing in the same place for a long time. It definitely happens on some OLED TVs, but manufacturers have come up with lots of ways to minimise the likelihood of it happening to yours.
There are three main ways in which OLED TVs can minimise the likelihood of burn-in. They can use image analysis to identify static images – TV channel logos, for example – and subtly dim them. They can gently shift the image around by a few pixels, something that your OLED probably does already without you noticing it.
And there’s a more brute-force approach, where the TV automatically dulls the brightness of the whole display when it detects a bright and potentially burn-in item. That latter one is the least popular because if it isn’t implemented well it can be quite dramatic and quite annoying. More modern TVs with this tech, known as ABL (Auto Brightness Limiting) are much more subtle about it than older ones.
Last but not least, you can take the DIY route. The default modes such as Vivid Mode on some TVs can be ridiculously bright, so changing them or using less blazing settings will make your eyes happy and reduce the risk of burn-in even further.
Ultimately burn-in is all about heat, hence the name. And the best way to reduce the risk of it and perhaps eliminate it altogether is to manage heat better in OLED TVs. And manufactures are doing just that. You’ll find clever heatsink technology and heat dissipation design in OLEDs from Panasonic, LG, Sony and more.
We’re not saying burn-in doesn’t exist. It does. But the advances in OLED TV tech in recent years means it’s much less of an issue than it was in early OLEDs, and for most of us it’s something we don’t really need to worry about too much.
How we test the best OLED TVs
When TechRadar tests TVs, the first step is to spend a few days using it for casual viewing for break-in and to assess the out-of-box picture presets. The next step is to select the most accurate-looking preset (typically labeled Movie or Cinema) and measure the white balance (grayscale), gamma, and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and they allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.
Along with those tests, we make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using white window patterns ranging from 1% to 100%. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources. Contrast ratio measurements are also performed.
After calibrating the TV’s picture for best accuracy with SDR and HDR sources, we watch a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs as well as new material streamed from sources like Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max.
Our final verdicts are based on combining the objective data with our subjective opinions on elements such as how natural the motion processing looks, and then comparing with the key competition to say whether a TV looks like good value or not.
Like our readers, our reviewers’ room layouts differ and may cause slight disparities in testing, however we make every attempt to question our assumptions and troubleshoot our issues with performance in every review.
The latest updates to this best OLED TVs guide
December 21 2023
Removed the Sony A95K and ‘best for picture quality’ category. Changed Samsung S95C from ‘Brightest OLED’ to ‘Best premium OLED’.
November 21 2023
Checked all products against our latest reviews to ensure we’re happy with the list (we are). Added a link to our Black Friday OLED TV guide.
October 19 2023
Updated the product lists to make the Samsung S90C our number one pick, reflecting our reviews. Added the LG B3 as the best cheaper gaming OLED.
September 21 2023
Added more buying advice for each model.
August 18 2023
Confirmed all links to ensure availability of models in list.
June 26 2023
Added this ‘latest updates’ section, to help readers see what recent changes have been made. Checked the products in the list against our latest reviews.
