Ditch the best streaming devices altogether by grabbing a 4K TV with the smarts baked in. Not only will you enjoy a fantastic, crisp picture that brings TV shows and movies to life, but you don’t need to worry about purchasing anything extra to access all your favorite streaming services. Our top smart 4K TVs have all been thoroughly vetted. So, each is sure to offer excellent operating systems, easy-to-navigate menus, and a healthy dose of extras that take your viewing experience to the next level. Check them out below:
TL;DR – These are the best 4K TVs for 2024:
- LG 77" Class OLED evo C4 - Best overall
- Hisense 65" U7N ULED Mini-LED - Best budget
- Sony 65" A95L Bravia XR OLED - Best OLED
- Samsung 85" QN90D Neo QLED - Best QLED
- Sony 85" Bravia X90L Full Array LED - Best LED
- LG 83" Class OLED evo G4 - Best for show-offs
- Sony 65" Class BRAVIA 7 Mini LED - Best for bright rooms
- Samsung 85" QN900D Neo QLED - Best 8K
Beyond smart features, the best 4K TVs deliver superb brightness and excellent contrast for deep blacks and highlights that pop off the screen. Colors will be vibrant, while HDR support should bring more realism to scenes. All our picks also make for some of the best gaming TVs with their high refresh rates, VRR, ALLM, solid game menus, and more, so you can make the most of the current-gen consoles and gaming PCs.
At the moment, our favorite 4K smart TV is the LG 77" Class OLED evo C4, with its stunning OLED panel and wealth of features for a midrange price. But whether you’re after a budget option that gets the job done, like the Hisense 65" U7N ULED Mini-LED, or a brilliant OLED panel that you can find on the Sony 65" A95L Bravia XR OLED, we’ve got you covered. If you time it right, you might even score a great TV deal on one.
Additional contributions by Kevin Lee
1. LG 77" Class OLED evo C4
Best 4K TV
With a brilliant OLED display and a wealth of features that stay within a reasonable price range (at least for a 77-inch OLED), the LG C4 is hard to beat. We tested the LG C2 a few years ago and loved it, and its latest model sees improvements to the already luminous 4K TV. Brightness is taken to the max this time, while the top-notch contrast with deep blacks and well-balanced colors bring the details to life in every scene; be it dark and shadowy or bright and vivid. We wish Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology came baked-in to take visuals even further, but that’s saved for the pricier G4 model.
Aiding in your movie and TV viewing experience are Dolby Vision and HDR10 support, which bring more clarity and texture to HDR content. Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode eliminates the need to change picture settings in the menu, so it’s easier to view supported content as the director intended. Brand-new AI processors are also successful at upscaling picture and sound quality for better immersion.
The LG C4’s smart TV platform is fairly streamlined and easy to navigate with a Quick Menu that makes it simple to adjust picture and sound settings. However, gaming is where this TV shines – there’s a reason we crowned it the best gaming TV. It offers four HDMI 2.1 ports that support a 120Hz refresh rate, VRR, and ALLM for butter smooth, low lag action for consoles. With capable gaming PCs, it can even hit 144Hz and comes with FreeSync and G-Sync support. A handy Game Dashboard also simplifies access to cloud gaming services and tweaking game settings.
2. Hisense 65" U7N ULED Mini-LED
Best Budget 4K TV
Enjoying a stunning picture at an affordable price doesn’t always mean sacrificing features. Just look at the Hisense U7N, the updated model of the Hisense U7K we fell hard for last year. With it comes support for all the latest HDR formats for an extra dose of realism in TV shows, movies, and even games. Speaking of games, with two HDMI 2.1 ports ready to hit 120Hz (up to 144Hz on PC) in 4K and support for VRR and ALLM, it's perfect for hooking up the PS5 and Xbox Series X to enjoy silky, smooth graphics. Plus, the surprisingly low input lag in Game Mode makes for an ultra-responsive TV, while the Game Bar allows easy adjustments to settings.
When streaming shows and movies, the Google TV interface offers the most popular streamers for convenience, and Hisense baked-in Apple Airplay to stream via an iPhone or iPad. Google Assistant and a built-in mic also bring voice control for searching content, checking the weather, and more – all without a remote control.
The feature-rich Hisense U7N looks great too. Its mini LED panel uses Quantum Dot technology for ample local dimming zones. Sure, this TV lacks the high contrast and deep blacks seen on OLEDs, but the panel gets plenty bright while visuals remain well-balanced with accurate, vivid colors. Like most QLEDs, the display is plagued with some slight backlight blooming. Still, given the price, this is one of the best budget 4K TVs available. If you're looking for even better contrast, higher brightness in HDR, and a wider color gamut, be sure to check out the Hisense U8N we reviewed.
3. Sony 65" A95L Bravia XR OLED
Best OLED 4K TV
OLED TVs are perfect to partner with your PS5 or Xbox X/S consoles, and Sony outdoes itself with the A95L’s QD-OLED panel. Using a combination of Quantum Dots and OLED technology, the TV delivers high brightness and hard-to-beat contrast for better depth overall and rich details in dark scenes. No matter what you’re watching, the picture is stunningly accurate, and the colors are true to life. That OLED panel also handles reflections like a champ, so you’ll be good to put this TV in just about any space.
Sony doesn’t forget about gaming on the A95L; this TV is a beast. Two HDMI 2.1 ports support a 120Hz refresh rate, VRR, and ALLM, so you’ll enjoy butter-smooth, responsive gameplay. It’s especially well suited to partner with the PS5, as the TV’s picture settings are automatically optimized based on what you’re playing. Dolby Vision Gaming is even supported to ensure some beautiful visuals.
4. Samsung 85" QN90D Neo QLED
Best QLED 4K TV
OLEDs may live at the top of the TV hierarchy, but the Samsung QN90D makes a case for QLEDs. Packing Neo QLED technology that uses Quantum Mini LEDs, this TV offers a staggering number of local dimming zones for near OLED-level contrast. However, where it really shines is brightness, hitting up to 2,000 nits in HDR while keeping color accuracy intact. The TV tested at 97.2% sRGB, 76% Adobe RGB, and 90.2% of the DCI P3 color gamuts – solid results for a TV panel.
Not everything is perfect on the Samsung QN90D, so expect some haloing around brighter objects in darker scenes and a poor off-angle viewing experience; nothing out of the ordinary for this type of display. It's also missing Dobly Vision support, though at least you still get HDR10+, and we’re big fans of the HDR brightness optimizer, which adjusts the screen’s tone based on the room’s light.
Beyond looking good, it has all the features you want. Four HDMI 2.1 ports are available for slotting in the next-gen consoles and a gaming PC to enjoy 4K/120Hz (144Hz on PC), ALLM, and VRR on each device, while HDR support makes colors and details pop in games like Baldur’s Gate III. The Game Bar keeps up with the best of them, so adjusting Game Mode settings is simple, and cloud gaming support adds extra convenience. For smart TV functionality and menus, Samsung has improved its Tizen OS but still doesn’t deliver the picture customizations of other manufacturers.
5. Sony 85" Bravia X90L Full Array LED
Best LED 4K TV
Sony’s X90L 4K TV shows you there’s still plenty to love about a traditional full-array LED display. For under $2,000, you can snag a massive 85-inch screen that puts a 10-bit panel in front of a full-array LED backlighting system, delivering precise control over local dimming zones and a high contrast ratio for deep blacks. You get a wide color gamut with bold hues, and content should remain smooth with few pixelated artifacts or visible graduated lines in even the brightest skies. Though admittedly, HDR and the viewing angles aren’t as striking as an OLED panel.
Sony didn't miss the memo on gaming—which is good considering it makes the PS5. You’ll be tearing through the action at 120Hz in 4K with little worry, as ALLM and VRR are built-in. If you use the PS5 with this TV, Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Switch ensure optimal settings for your content without ever lifting a finger. Other handy features include a top-notch 4K upscaler, film modes, and a Google TV OS.
6. LG 83" Class OLED evo G4
Best 4K TV for Show-offs
In our review of the LG G4, we found this TV was nearing perfection thanks to its class-leading OLED panel. With it comes the infinite contrast that OLEDs are famous for, delivering deep blacks and brilliant highlights. Color performance is equally great, as the panel hit 100% of sRGB, 90% of Adobe RGB, and 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamuts in testing, making it a viable monitor replacement. And with an excellent batch of picture profiles and customizations to choose from, it’s easier to reach that true-to-life image than other TVs.
Unlike the LG C4 that tops this guide, this one is rocking Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology for increased brightness, leading to more depth and detail in scenes. That’s paired with excellent HDR support and a powerful new AI processor for a more cinematic viewing experience. So, it’d be a disservice not to grab this TV in 83-inch size to show off all it's capable of. Just be sure you’ve got somebody to help set it up, as the TV is heavy but keeps a low profile for wall mounting. A gallery mode even lets you display stunning artwork for a truly head-turning display.
Gaming prowess isn’t forgotten on the LG G4, so low input lag ensures snappy responsiveness while visuals remain smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate in 4K on consoles or up to 144Hz on PC. Four HDMI 2.1 ports are packed in to enjoy those speedy frame rates on multiple devices without any need to adjust cables, and each port comes with VRR and ALLM support for even better visual fidelity. Given this is an OLED panel, response times are also nearly instantaneous for almost no motion blur.
When streaming content, the G4 runs on LGs own WebOS 24, which makes all the popular streaming services easily accessible on a less cluttered screen. It’s not the fastest system around but fairly easy to navigate with a wealth of picture-setting customizations available on the menu for far greater control over competitors.
7. Sony 65" Class BRAVIA 7 Mini LED
Best 4K TV for a Bright Room
For well-lit spaces, the Sony Bravia 7 is the TV to get. Where OLEDs tend to struggle with brightness, this TV’s mini LED panel manages to hit a staggering peak brightness for enjoying both SDR and HDR content. An anti-reflection coating aids the viewing experience, preventing sunny windows or bright background lighting from fully killing a scene’s fine details. And where many mini-LEDs struggle, the processor shines at dynamically adjusting lighting and smoothing lower-quality content. However, watching the TV at off angles will significantly degrade the picture quality.
Along with punchy brightness, the Sony Bravia 7 delivers excellent contrast thanks to the panel’s local dimming, while the quantum dot technology makes for vivid, true-to-life colors. Even out of the box, the picture looks great, so finessing with settings won’t be a major headache. Some haloing may occur around brighter highlights in dark scenes, but most won’t find it noticeable.
We loved gaming on the older model of the Sony Bravia 7, the Sony Bravia X93L, and this latest model is still packing all the features we love, like a low input lag, 4K/120Hz, VRR, and more. Things are kicked up further when playing on PS5, with exclusive features to automatically adjust picture settings, making it one of the best TVs for PS5. A game bar is implemented for manual fine-tuning, though LG and Samsung do it better. At least the Google TV interface is easy to navigate for finding something to watch quickly, making this a great TV for streaming.
8. Samsung 85" QN900D Neo QLED
Best 8K TV
Like the sound of the Samsung QN90D but want four times as many pixels packed in for virtually no pixel peeping on even an 85-inch model? The Samsung QN900D is the best 8K TV to future-proof your setup. Sure, 8K content may still be hard to find, but this TV has a top-notch AI processor that does an excellent job upscaling lower resolutions and even brings more depth and detail to scenes.
Though there’s no OLED technology on the QN900D, its mini-LED panel with precise local dimming is at the top of its class, bringing punchy colors, supreme brightness, and insane clarity. Highlights will pop while blacks are deep with minimal blooming. This TV stuns in SDR, but its HDR performance offers even brighter and bolder images for elevated realism. Support for HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG are on board. However, we miss Dolby Vision.
Running the smart TV functionality is Samsung’s own Tizen OS. The software has its quirks, but the interface has seen some major improvements and allows you to make fine adjustments to picture settings. The home screen also includes the Gaming Hub for easy access to cloud gaming services, and a game bar makes for simpler in-game setting adjustments. As for console gaming, the TV comes with 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM delivering ultra-smooth, tear-free action on any of the four HDMI 2.1 ports. If your PC has the chops, the frame rate can bump up to a wild 240Hz with VRR in 4K or even 8K/60Hz.
Which 4K TV Should You Buy?
There are a lot of different factors when it comes to buying a big and expensive 4K TV. One of the first things you should consider is size, followed by what you'll be using it for. Here are some of the things to keep in mind when shopping around for a new TV. You can also check out our full TV buying guide for more details.
What Size Do You Need?
The size of the TV is almost always directly related to the price. The bigger you go, the more it's likely going to cost you. Because of this, it's important to know what size of TV you actually need. If you're buying a television for a smaller space, you will probably be fine with a 55-inch TV rather than a monster 85-inch behemoth.
What Are You Using the TV For?
Another important thing to keep in mind is what kind of use you're expecting to get out of your 4K TV. If you're planning on using it strictly for gaming, you will defintely need something with enough HDMI ports and a decent refresh rate. You may even want to consider buying a gaming monitor vs. a TV. If you're looking for streaming and watching shows, movies or sports, than a 4k TV is for you.
Best 4K TV FAQs
Should you buy an OLED or QLED TV?
There are are a lot of different TV terms that mean different things and can affect your viewing experience. For more on this, you can take a look at our explainer about the different TV technologies like OLED and QLED.
If you're also considering investing in a projector versus a high-end TV to upgrade your living room setup, we have great picks for 2023 with comparable pricing to TVs: Best Home Theater Projectors.
When is the best time to buy a new 4K TV?
There's never really a wrong time to buy a 4K TV as many different TV brands go on sale throughout the year. But some key times are Black Friday, before the Super Bowl, and Prime Day. Outside of that, many manufacturers churn out new TV models in the spring, so you can score deals on older offerings. Check out the best time to buy a TV guide for more info.
Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer for IGN based in Los Angeles who spends most of her time updating tech buying guides.
