Best TV 2026: Experts select the year's top TVs
The pick of the very best TVs available right now
If you're shopping for the best TVs, then you're looking for a viewing experience that's exceptional – not just 'very good'. Everything needs to add up to brilliance, including the picture quality, the audio performance, the on-board software, and more.
I've taken a look at all the top-rated TVs on the market right now, as well as the extensive T3 review library, to select the television sets that can't be beaten: if you want to get the maximum bang for your buck, then these are the models to go for. The Samsung S95F is our current top pick.
You'll find 12 sets in this list in total, all of which excel in multiple areas, whether it's the quality of their audio or the flexibility of the connection options you get. With price points ranging from low to high – partly dictated by size, of course – you're covered no matter what your budget is.
There should be something for everyone in this selection, no matter the budget you're working with, or the features you need. You'll also find a variety of screen tech on show here, including OLED, QLED, and Mini-LED – and I'll explain how they differ in the FAQ and advice sections at the end of this guide.
T3 Top 3
Sony's top-tier OLED (the Bravia 9 II is an RGB Mini-LED) manages to balance the design, picture prowess and processing expertise in such a perfect manner that it's the best of all worlds – and a cinematic powerhourse that's worth its asking price.
Whether you pick the S99H with its floating border design, or the S95H without the extra, both feature four HDMI 2.1 ports and a crazy-bright QD-OLED panel with anti-reflective coating. It's brilliant for gaming and brilliant for cinema too.
This is another astonishingly good TV from LG. The OLED G6 has it all: a super-bright, super-detailed picture, plenty of features for everyone from gamers to movie fans, and on-board software to deliver all the streaming goodness you need.
Update 9 July 2026: Updated to include T3 Awards 2026 winners.
The best TVs in 2026
Best TV Overall
There's plenty in the positives column when it comes to the Sony Bravia 8 II, including a top-class second-gen QD-OLED panel, really impressive built-in sound quality, and support for HDMI 2.1 (though only on two of the four ports – which is about its only letdown).
In our Sony Bravia 8 II review we called it a winner in terms of its "sheer picture clarity, overall brightness, and motion processing authenticity". It's one of the more expensive television sets on the market at the moment, but it's every bit worth its cover price for the sheer quality of picture that it delivers. That's what saw it take our Best TV trophy in the T3 Awards 2026.
We also like the design aesthetic of this television, with one caveat: the stands are rather oddly fixed at the edges of the screen, so you're going to need a surface as wide as the actual set. So do some measuring before committing to buying this otherwise brilliant set!
Best TV For Gaming
There's so much that's good about this TV (excluding the bizarre naming convention) that it's difficult to know where to start. But our full Samsung S99H review will give you the full rundown of the multiple strengths of this model.
The pictures produced by the Samsung S99H are bold and bright and punchy, while fast motion, wide colour variations, and lower-resolution content are all handled superbly. There's also some great anti-glare tech here which functions really well.
Whether you're looking at sports, games, or movies, this is a television that'll wow you, and we think it's the best option around right now for most people. It also comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports, with support for 4K/165Hz pictures that will interest gamers. You can even expand upon that to eight ports using a Wireless One Connect box, for more connectivity than any TV on the planet.
Any downsides? Well, the S99H has a massive floating border design, which you can swerve if you buy the S95H (note: the '99' model isn't in the USA). This 'art' design element may prove divisive for prospective buyers.
Best OLED TV
The LG OLED G6 comes from a very strong series of models put out by LG, and it's the best yet. In fact, it's one of the best sets that our review team has ever seen, excelling in just about every area that matters, with very few negatives to talk about.
In our LG OLED G6 review, we enthused about this delivering "cinematic picture magic", as is the pinnacle of classic OLED performance. The panel it uses is the multi-layered OLED type, which was a generational leap in brightness when introduced last generation – and looks stunning here still.
The four HDMI 2.1 ports will please home cinema enthusiasts and gamers alike, while LG's webOS software continues to improve. If we're being very picky, some of the AI implementations are a bit clunky, and you'll probably want to invest in a soundbar.
Best Value (under £1000)
If value's what you're after first and foremost, then the TCL C7K is hands down the best value TV we've seen – it's not 'cheap', but it is feature-packed and at a price far less than the equivalent competition offer.
You get two HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K resolution gaming at up to 120Hz smooth refresh, plus support for the major HDR (high dynamic range) standards – which look stunning on this super-bright Mini-LED pabnel. There's also Google TV on board here, which is an impressively versatile smart TV platform.
For more details, head to our TCL C7K review, where we detail how this TV is "packed full of performance, with a better-than-average sound system, and brilliant 4K HDR performance."
Best Cheap TV (Under £500)
Amazon is now starting to get into its stride when it comes to its own TVs, and the Mini-LED 4K television we have here is evidence of that. It's a serious upgrade over the first generation of sets that Amazon put out, and it could be the best pick overall when it's discounted in Amazon sales.
Our Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED QLED 4K review talks about "dynamic picture quality" and "candy colours", and we also said it was a "big step forward" for Amazon. Contrast and HDR are both handled very well, and while the audio and gaming support could be better, it's excellent value for money.
This being Amazon, you can pick up the Amazon Fire TV Omni at a very respectable price even before it goes on sale – and you may well wonder why you would pay more. The Fire TV software on Amazon's TVs and streaming devices is solid too, giving you easy access to a host of content.
Best Built-In Sound
In our Panasonic Z95B review, we gave this TV a full five stars out of five, so you know it's a great option. We talked about its superior black-level nuance, thanks to not overdoing the anti-reflective coating, but it's the sound quality that really stands out against its rivals.
This set offers an integrated 5.1.2-channel array which is capable of handling 3D audio, with some tuning expertise added by Technics. We don't say this often, but this is one television that you're not going to have to consult our best soundbars guide for.
It's a relatively expensive set, and we're not really fans of the adverts that come with the Amazon Fire TV software – but you can always connect an extra streaming device if you wish. This might be the end of an era, however, as Panasonic is to outsource and no longer produce a flagship – making it the last great in a long lone.
Best with Ambilight
There are numerous reasons why this TV stands out and is an easy pick for our list of the best televisions, starting with the quality of that OLED picture: bright and bold and very impressive. It also offers a sound experience that'll make you forget all about having to buy a soundbar.
What we like most here though is the Ambilight system, which creates subtle background lighting around the sides of your TV, based on what's happening on screen. It can really add a special touch of extra immersion, and the Philips OLED 909 handles it better than most.
In our Philips OLED 909 review, we said that this TV "sounds like a dream – and looks like one too", which is why we awarded it full marks in our star rating system. No matter what the content source, you're going to get seriously great audio and visuals from this television.
Best For Subscribers
As you'll gather from our Sky Glass (2025) review, this is quite an unusual proposition as far as TVs go: you get the TV, but you also get a Sky subscription included, with everything delivered over the internet (so no need to get a dish). It's potentially the perfect TV for Sky subscribers.
"There's a monthly cost, no big up-front payment (unless that's your preference), and you can pick and choose which channel 'packs' you add on to the package too," we wrote in that review, while also praising how straightforward it was to set up the whole system and all your channels.
Okay, it doesn't offer the very best in terms of picture quality, sound, or gaming features, but it gets pretty close in all the important areas that matter. If you're not already a Sky subscriber, it's worth having a look at the latest bundles, because there's a lot of content on offer.
Best Art Design
Samsung's The Frame is a rather unique bit of hardware, because it's designed to be used as a digital art display when you're not watching any actual TV on it. Knowing the double duty that this set can do for you should give you some idea as to whether it's the television for you.
When you don't have any digital artwork on the display, this is a very capable television set. We like the pictures produced by Samsung's QLED panel, which has a matte finish to reduce distractions. Clarity and dynamics are excellent, while the audio is good enough to do without a soundbar.
Have a read through our Samsung The Frame review if you're tempted by this upgrade. "Choose from a variety of painterly optional bezels, subscribe to Samsung's Art Store service, and you'll have a virtual gallery in your home whenever you want one," we wrote in the review.
Best 8K TV
It's fair to say that 4K TVs have been around for a while now, and so you might be thinking about making the jump to 8K – and if you are, then the Samsung QN900F could be the ideal pick for you. It handles 8K pictures brilliantly well, as well as content in lower resolutions too.
Connection-wise this is a top-notch television set, with four HDMI 2.1 ports to play around with. That means means there's plenty of scope for streaming boxes, gaming consoles, and the like – there's enough space for everything, so you can make full use of all of those pixels.
Now with so many pixels to display and such big sizes to accommodate, you are of course going to have to pay a substantial amount of money to get hold of the Samsung QN900F. But given everything you get in return, we think it's an investment well worth considering.
Honourable Mentions
Samsung S90F: this is a simply superb set from Samsung, which serves up bright and detailed pictures, and it works just as well for gaming as it does for movies and sports. You won't be disappointed.
LG OLED M4: the M4 gives you all the usual OLED picture quality you'd expect from LG, as well as a wireless connectivity configuration – all you need to plug in directly is the power cable.
Philips OLED 959: another top-tier Ambilight set from Philips, giving you an immersive lighting experience along with everything else (fantastic OLED picture quality, a fine sound system, and more).
LG OLED C5: a mid-range marvel from LG, which provides the perfect balance between a reasonable price point and a more than reasonable OLED panel. It has a design that stands out, too.
How we test
As said in T3's extensive How We Test page: our TV testing can "only be achieved by truly living with a product". That's paramount for testing our TVs, in order to be at one with the way they function, react to changing lighting conditions, or different modes. We'll find high points and any quirks that mark these sets down.
In addition, however, it's key to also measure TVs using tools so we can gauge whether their brightness delivers as potently as is claimed. That way we know what the brightest and most dynamic sets are. And, of course, there are all manner of features – as outlined in the sections above – to take on board, from the panel technology and backlight, to the high dynamic range compatibility, and the sound quality.
Once we've pulled together all our testing and real-world living, we're then able to contextualise how a TV fits into the broader market and award it a score, with the lucrative T3 5-star badge the ultimate accolade awarded to only the very best tellies available.
How to choose
Shortlisting your next television can be a complicated business, but a few simple rules of thumb will help.
Besides resolution – so usually 4K but maybe 8K – screen size is a key consideration. To see incremental differences in resolution, you’ll probably need to buy a bigger screen than you had previously, or move your seating closer.
Long story short: think big, then buy bigger.
Counter intuitive it may well be, but ultra-large 8K screens are perfect for smaller rooms, if you want to really see every drop of detail.
Then there’s viewing environment. If you tend to watch in high ambient lighting, or during daytime, a QLED screen will typically serve you better than OLED. If you prefer to watch with low or no lighting, an OLED will deliver greater subjective contrast and shadow detail.
Smart platforms are no longer a decisive reason to buy. All TVs are smart these days, and the choice of apps ubiquitous – focus on image quality, price and any other features you're keen on. You can always plug in an extra streaming device if you need to.
FAQs
It's important to do your research if you're investing in one of the best TVs on the market, and it's likely that you'll come across a lot of different terms and have quite a few questions about buying choices. These are some of the key answers you're going to need.
Which display tech is best?
These are the three main types of TV tech you'll see mentioned in the guide above, but manufacturers will often come up with their own names and terms, so double-check exactly what you're getting.
It's also worth bearing in mind that none of these options are sub-standard: they're all improving all the time, and each one is capable of producing fantastic-looking visuals for your next television.
OLED: OLED TVs have individually illuminated pixels, which means beautiful colour, high contrast, and excellent blacks. They typically cost more, but they're the pinnacle of TV pane; tech.
QLED: Quantum Dot technology uses backlights across all pixels, which usually means brighter panels and richer colours. Most of the time, QLED TVs can also be relied on for top-tier motion handling.
Mini-LED: Similar to QLEDs, Mini-LED TVs use backlights behind the pixels, but they're usually smaller (hence the mini name). In theory, this ensures more precise control over how the screen is lit up.
What should I look for?
Here are some of the things we look for when we review a TV screen, so you should, too...
Contrast: Bright whites shouldn't have any signs of green, pink or blue in them, while blacks should look solid and not washed out, grey, green or blue.
Colours: look at how bright and solid they are, and how noiseless their edges are. Also look at how 'dotty' richly saturated areas are and how natural skin looks, especially in dim scenes.
Fine detail: how much texture does the screen give? Does a tree look like a green lump, or can you see the individual leaves?
Edges: check for ghosting, bright halos and jaggedness, especially around curves.
Motion: check moving objects and quick camera pans for smearing or blurring, trailing, jerkiness and fizzing dotty noise.
Image artefacts: look for blockiness, colour bands, grain, smearing, dot crawl – anything that looks like it's added by the TV's picture processing engine.
What about sound?
To provide the best audio to complement the pictures, your TV should be hooked up to a separate audio system, be it soundbar or home cinema separates, but this isn't always an option. So, here's what we listen for when testing a TV's speakers:
Bass: deep, rounded rumbles that don't cause the set to rattle or speakers to distort cramp or overwhelm the rest of the sound – but that expand when needed.
Vocals: voices should sound open, rich and clear, not boxed in, nasal or thin.
Trebles: treble effects should sound clean, rounded and smooth in loud scenes and shouldn't dominate the soundstage.
Soundstage width/depth: a good TV should throw the sound away from the TV, to the sides, forward and back, to give an extra dimension to what's on screen, without losing any coherence.
Reviewer Panel
It's part of my job here at T3 to test the best TVs, so I'm often hosting a brand new set in my living room, treating it as if it's my own, to gauge how impressive its sound, picture quality and features are. It's this first-hand experience and knowledge that inputs into this best TV guide.
Simon brings a wealth of experience with him when it comes to reviewing TVs, and that comes across in the way he writes about them. There isn't much he doesn't know about the ins and outs of audio/visual hardware, and that makes him worth listening to when it comes to the best TVs.
With more than 25 years in the business, Steve May certainly knows what he's writing about when it comes to audio and visual kit – in fact, he set up an entire magazine dedicated to the technology. You can rely on his TV reviews to be well informed, well balanced, and very helpful.