Update, 12/16/2022: We’ve reviewed our recommendations and have updated most of our picks with the latest and greatest 8K TVs. Take a look!
What to Look for in an 8K TV in 2022
8K TVs have come a long way in just a few years. Not only has the number of 8K televisions on the market grown multifold, but their pricing has also come down significantly in some cases. They no longer seem entirely superfluous and are becoming a reasonable investment.
An essential feature to look for in an 8K TV is its upscaling capability. Upscaling is the process used by the television to increase the resolution of lower-resolution content. As you’ll mostly watch 4K, Full-HD, and HD content on your TV, upscaling quality will play a significant role in making such content look good on the screen.
The scarcity of native 8K content is often cited as an argument against 8K TVs. But with upscaling, you’ll still be able to enjoy the full resolution of your 8K TV. If you are looking for the best TV technology, 8K TVs are your best bet as they include the best of what TV manufacturers have to offer.
You’ll also want the 8K TV to offer a fantastic visual experience. There are two display technologies currently available in 8K TVs—LED and OLED. Both have their positives and negatives. However, 8K OLED TVs are currently rare and exorbitantly expensive, so unless you have a fair bit of cash, you’ll be looking at an LED 8K TV.
Bang & Olufsen and LG are the only manufacturers offering 8K OLED TVs in the US, and even Bang & Olufsen’s 8K TV is based on LG tech. LED 8K TVs, on the other hand, are far more common and come from a variety of TV makers. LED TVs overall have less risk of burn-in and other issues OLED has, as well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Is 8K?
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8K refers to the 7680×4320 pixels display resolution. It’s the successor to 4K and has four times the total pixels.
What Is the Difference Between a 4K and an 8K TV?
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4K and 8K TV have different display resolutions. While 4K TVs come with 3840x2160p resolution, the 8K TVs have 7680x4320p resolution. The higher resolution means 8K TVs offer crisper and even more high-quality pictures.
Which Streaming Services Support 8K?
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Unfortunately, as of December 2022, no mainstream streaming service supports 8K. You can find some 8K videos on Vimeo or YouTube, but the likes of Netflix, Disney+, or HBO Max are yet to jump on the 8K bandwagon. Amazon Prime Video has joined the 8K Association, an organization responsible for promoting 8K, but the service hasn’t said anything about rolling out 8K content.
Are 8K TVs Worth Buying?
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It depends on whether you want a TV with the best available technology to remain futureproof or are looking to enjoy 8K content. As there is hardly any 8K content, and you’ll mostly be watching upscaled 4K, 1080p, or HD stuff, there is no reason to go for an 8K TV for content. But if you have the budget, 8K TVs are excellent for enjoying the latest and greatest of TV technology.
Which Size TV Is Best for 8K?
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Televisions with a 65-inch display size or more are typically best suited for 8K resolution, as you won’t notice any difference between a 4K TV and an 8K TV at sizes lower than 65 inches.
Pros
- ✓ Impressive picture quality with high peak brightness
- ✓ Excellent upscaling
- ✓ 144Hz native refresh rate
Cons
- ✗ Slight blooming
- ✗ No Dolby Vision HDR support
The QN900B is Samsung’s flagship 8K TV and therefore packs the best of the company’s TV technology. It offers exceptional picture quality thanks to its impressive contrast ratio, quantum dot technology, and high peak brightness. As Samsung has included its Ultra Viewing Layer technology, you also get decent viewing angles. Whether you watch the TV head-on or from a slight angle, you won’t notice any color shift.
Additionally, the television’s fantastic peak brightness and almost complete DCI-P3 coverage help it offer an impactful HDR experience. Sadly, being a Samsung TV, it lacks Dolby Vision HDR support, which is quite popular among movie studios and TV production houses. Instead, you get HDR10+ in terms of dynamic HDR, but HDR10+ is not as widely adopted.
There is good news on the upscaling front. Samsung’s new Neural Quantum Processor 8k is excellent at upscaling lower-resolution content. So you’ll have no trouble watching old DVDs, full-HD Blu-rays, and 4K content.
Moreover, if you are into gaming, you’ll love the QN900B as it’s one of the few TVs to feature a 144Hz refresh rate. There is also support for NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync, and HDMI VRR for tear-free gaming.
In terms of design, as you can expect, the QN900B looks premium and comes with an external One Connect box to keep the cable clutter away from it.
Unfortunately, while the full-array local dimming (FALD) implementation on the TV greatly enhances its contrast ratio, it also results in some blooming around bright objects and subtitles. It’s not a lot, but certainly noticeable.
You can buy the Samsung QN900B in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch sizes.
Best 8K TV Overall
Samsung QN900B
The Samsung QN900B is an impressive 8K TV with top-notch upscaling capabilities. So whether you watch movies or play video games, it will shine on pretty much every front.
Pros
- ✓ Mini LED backlighting
- ✓ Excellent contrast and overall picture quality
- ✓ HDMI 2.1 and next-gen gaming features
- ✓ HDR10 and Dolby Vision available
Cons
- ✗ TV struggles in upscaling Full-HD and HD content
- ✗ Poor viewing angles
TCL is known for affordability, and the company knocked it out of the park with the 6-Series 4K TV line by providing outstanding performance at low prices. The same is true for the company’s 6-Series 8K TV. While TCL’s 8K TV is still more expensive than 4K TVs of the same size, it is comparably less expensive than comparable LG or Samsung 8K TVs.
The TCL 8K TV looks good, beyond just the picture quality. Its centralized metal stand is a nice change from the increasingly common wide legs that can take up more space in an entertainment center. However, the TV is thicker than competing models, and its borders aren’t as refined as one would expect. Still, for how much you save, this probably won’t be a dealbreaker for most.
Thanks to Mini LED backlighting, the television offers deeper blacks with its dimming zones and excellent contrast. The picture quality is also outstanding and if you have never seen an 8K TV in action, be ready to be blown away. In addition, you get support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision to enjoy HDR content and gaming in all its beauty.
TCL’s Smart 8K Upscaling is excellent at upscaling lower-resolution content. However, it struggles with Full-HD or HD content more than competing 8K TVs. As a result, you’ll notice some occasional artifacts if you’re watching 1080p content. That said, upscaled 4K content is a treat to watch and is fairly common to find.
All next-generation gaming features are also present on the 6-Series 8K. So if you are planning to hook up a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can game in 4K at 120fps using the two HDMI 2.1 ports. In addition, the TV has low input lag and fast response time.
The ever-popular Roku OS handles the smart aspects of the TV, and as always, it provides a smooth and fluid experience with access to tons of apps and streaming services. You’ll have everything you need to enjoy the 8K experience right out of the box!
You can grab the TCL 6-Series 8K TV in 65-inch and 75-inch sizes.
Best Budget 8K TV
TCL Series-6 8K TV
With its Series-6 8K TV, TCL has truly upped its game. As a result, it is not only the best TCL TV on the market, but it is also the best affordable 8K TV.
Pros
- ✓ Native 144Hz refresh rate
- ✓ Four HDMI 2.1 ports
- ✓ VRR and ALLM support
- ✓ Low input lag and fast response time
- ✓ Fantastic picture quality
Cons
- ✗ No Dolby Vision
- ✗ Minor blooming
In addition to being our pick for the best overall 8K TV, the Samsung QN900B’s top-notch gaming chops also make it ideal for gamers. It delivers a responsive gaming experience thanks to its low input lag and fast response time. Plus, gamers will like that the set can do 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 144Hz. But as modern consoles top out at 4K 120Hz, you will only enjoy 8K or even 4K 144Hz gaming with top-end PCs.
For tear-free gaming, Samsung has also included support for all three major variable refresh rate technologies, including AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Plus, there is support for Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now to stream your favorite games without any additional hardware.
In other highlights, the TV’s impressive upscaling capabilities not just make lower-resolution movies and TV shows ready for 8K but also your console and PC games. So no matter the source, the TV will do its best to make it good on the screen.
Beyond its superb gaming capabilities, the QN900B is also solid for watching movies, TV shows, or sports. It produces lifelike visuals thanks to Samsung’s quantum dot technology, Mini-LED backlighting, and full-array local dimming. Moreover, as it gets very bright and can show deep blacks because of local dimming, HDR content also looks fantastic on the TV.
Lastly, Tizen is responsible for this TV’s software, which is fast and easy to use. You get a great selection of apps, including popular streaming services.
Best 8K TV for Gaming
Samsung QN900B
From a native 144Hz refresh rate to Nvidia G-Sync support, the QN900B has everything a modern gamer wants. It’ll also upscale your old console games pretty well.
Best OLED 8K TV: LG Z2
Pros
- ✓ OLED panel delivers impressive picture quality
- ✓ Dolby Vision IQ support
- ✓ Premium design
- ✓ Next-generation gaming features
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive
- ✗ No HDR10+
- ✗ Risk of burn-in
Your 8K OLED options are pretty much limited to LG. If you want the perfect blacks with a near-infinite contrast ratio, your best bet is the LG Z2. It’s the top-of-the-line television in the company’s lineup and comes with all the bells and whistles you can expect. But obviously, its OLED panel is the main highlight, enabling the television to produce jaw-dropping visuals and offer excellent viewing angles.
Given the lack of 8K content, you’ll also be happy to know that the Z2’s Alpha 9 Gen 5 8K processor upscales lower-resolution content well. All your DVDs and Blu-rays will look good on this gorgeous screen.
Plus, the TV has a minimalist and clean design. And thanks to a uniform rear panel, it hangs neatly on a wall. But if you prefer a table-mount look, feet are included in the box.
In other features, webOS handles the software duties, like other LG TVs, and it’s relatively easy to use and offers access to all popular apps, including streaming services.
LG has also kept the gamers in mind while building the Z2, and it comes with a native 120Hz refresh rate to enable high refresh rate gaming, ALLM for automatic enabling of the game mode, and VRR support.
Finally, the HDR performance of the Z2 is excellent, and there is support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 formats.
You can buy the Z2 in 77-inch and 88-inch sizes. However, the 77-inch model is significantly more affordable than the 88-inch model, the latter of which being at an eye-watering $25,000.
Best OLED 8K TV
LG Z2
Get OLED’s trademark fantastic picture quality in 8K with LG’s Z2. It may be prohibitively expensive, but it excels in everything it does.
