The best 4K TVs in 2025
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This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
We’re living in a high-definition, super-connected world. It makes sense that 4K smart TVs are now the expected standard for streaming from your favourite apps, up-to-date to gaming, and accessing a whole host of tech-savvy features. Not to mention the fact that 4K resolution looks absolutely incredible across a 50-inch (or bigger) screen.
Let’s put it another way: You need a TV thatâs up to the task of keeping you entertained while also keeping pace with the latest innovations. But one that comes at a price that suits you, of course. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of choice when it comes to 4K TVs. The top manufacturers, such as Samsung and LG, update their smart TV ranges pretty much every year. There’s never a bad time to upgrade.
But with an ever-growing selection of TV brands, not to mention all the head-spinning terminology, choosing a new 4K TV isn’t always straightforward. If you want the latest spec â and a model that won’t look out of date after a few months â it can be hard to navigate. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that Full HD was the sharpest resolution on the block. Now it’s budget level.
To help put you in the picture, we’ve pulled together some helpful information and a selection of the best 4K TVs available right now.
What resolution is 4K?The futuristic sounding 4K is another way of saying ultra-high definition. A 4K TV display has at least 8 million active pixels. Thatâs a standardised resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 â four times the resolution of the HD standard of 1080p. Top branded TVs will also do a great job of upscaling regular HD and SD content so it looks as polished as possible on your 4K display.
How big are 4K TVs?When it comes to 4K, bigger is indeed better. And why not? A bigger screen makes sense to get the most out of the 4K quality â and to set these TVs apart from smartphones and small devices, which we increasingly use to watch HD content. The smallest size in 4K is usually 48 inches, going up to 55, 65, 75, and even 80+ inch screens. The screen size is measured diagonally, from corner to corner.
How much do 4K TVs cost? This very much depends on the spec and manufacturer. Itâs possible to find basic (but good quality) models around the ÂŁ400 mark. You might be surprised to find that for TVs that offer multiple screen sizes, there isnât a huge price difference between 48 and 65-inch models. Itâs when you go past 80 inches that the prices really start to go up.
Whatâs better, OLED or QLED?OLED and QLED are the panel technologies behind premium 4K screens. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. It uses a carbon-based film between two conductors that emits its own light when electric current is passed through. This creates a âself-emissiveâ display, as the OLED panel generates light without needing to use a backlight (as used by LCD displays). Its pixels are individually lit.
OLED has whiter whites, because the panel lights itself, and blacker blacks, because the pixels turn off entirely without using a backlight. OLED prevents âhotpsotsâ (overly bright areas) and âbloomingâ (when lighter images bleed into dark patches).
QLED stands for Quantum-dot Light Emitting Diode. Championed by Samsung â the worldâs biggest manufacturer of televisions â QLED is a type of LCD panel technology. It uses an LCD backlight and quantum dot colour filter that boosts colour and contrast. QLED is renowned for delivering a brighter picture than OLED â which is especially useful if youâre watching in a brightly-lit room. Samsung also has its own version called Neo QLED, which replaces usual LED diodes with ever smaller “mini” LEDs.
What is the best 4K TV for gaming?If youâre planning on connecting a TV to a PS5 or Xbox Series X, there are features to look out for. Make sure it has HDMI 2.1 ports, which deliver better bandwidth, higher resolution, and higher frame rates. A gaming-friendly TV will also support eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), 4K@120Hz (High Frame Rate), HGiG tone-mapping, and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate).
What is the best 4K TV?We’ve searched the internet for some of the best 4K TVs. Maybe you’re looking for pure power, or maybe you’re on a tight budget. No matter what you’re looking for, there should be something for you in this list. These 4K TVs are truly eye-popping.
These are the best 4K TVs in 2025.
If you know your Samsung TVs already, youâll know that the manufacturer has tended to prioritise QLED panels â and its own Neo QLED technology â but Samsung can do OLED too. In fact, Samsung has absolutely smashed it (not literally, youâll be pleased to know) with the Samsung S95D 65-inch. It is, as multiple reviewers say, one of the best 4K OLED televisions ever made.
Itsâs powered by Samsungâs highly intelligent NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, which delivers a range of upscaling tech. This includes OLED HDR Pro, which manages the contrast between impressive brightness and sumptuous blacks. Plus, Real Depth Enhancer, which adjusts the foreground to mimic how the human eye processes depth, and AI-powered 4K upscaling.
Even at this level of TV, Samsung continues to dig its heels in by not including Dolby Vision. But with all the technology on display here, youâd need to be super picky about HDR formats for that to be a problem. And donât forget that it still supports other HDR formats, including HDR10+.
The Dolby Atmos-enhanced sound is decent enough â as youâd expect for just a touch under ÂŁ2,000 â but it needs a soundbar for absolute maximum audio performance. Samsung TVs and soundbars use a technology called Q-Symphony, which plays sound from both the soundbar and TV speakers at the same time, creating an immersive audio experience.
Itâs big (65 inches of smart TV is a statement by anybodyâs standards) but itâs pleasingly thin â about the same thickness as your smartphone â and has a relatively small (but stable!) stand. On top of all that you get the easy-to-navigate Tizen OS, more than 800 free channels via Samsung TV Plus, and a gaming hub that offers gaming even without a console.
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Though it may not be our very top pick, the LG C4 isnât far behind the pack leader. And many 4K TV experts would agree that LG has a rep for making the best OLED TV sets around. And it costs significantly less than the above Samsung model. That makes this exceptional value for the money, though you can still expect to pay upward of ÂŁ1,000 for 48 inches plus.
This TV has amped up the brightness since the previous gen model, which is one of the bonuses of LGâs OLED evo tech: Better brightness and more vivid colours. It has a Brightness Booster feature with a Light Boosting Algorithm. What you expect with OLED, of course, is whiter whites and blacker blacks, all of which youâll find in the LG C4âs super-detailed, rich visuals.
Other visual touches include AI customisation, which allows you to choose your favourite images from a selection before the AI Picture Wizard tailors the TVâs image to match your preferences. AI continues refining the pictures and audio while you watch â it recognises the content and then fine tunes it.
And while it sounds solid on its own, with Dolby Atmos-supported audio, itâs the same deal as any other TV at this level: A soundbar will really unlock that surround sound potential. That said, the TV analyses your environment and optimises the sound to perfectly suit the surrounding acoustics.
If youâre a movie buff or you want that cinematic experience at home â which is likely if youâre shopping around for a 4K TV at this level â it has a dedicated Filmmaker Mode, which works with Dolby Vision to optimise the picture as the director intended. Thereâs plenty for gamers too â all of which is controlled by a Game Optimizer and Game Dashboard â plus you can create “Quick Card” shortcuts for quick access to your favourite content.
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The Philips OLED809 is packed with tech for a superb picture, combining an LG-built display with AI picture processing. The result is plain to see. It has a huge database of image types, which it uses to process the action on screen much like the human brain does (thatâs something a lot of modern TVs try to mimic, in fact). What you get, essentially, is Philipsâ already-great picture quality boosted by added realism and AI-assisted refinement.Â
High-quality picture aside, the real sell is Philipsâ triple-sided Ambilight. This is essentially a series of LEDs on the back of the TV that change colour in real time to match the action, the music, or other themes. Itâs strikingly immersive and dominates the whole mood of the room. If you want to get sucked into the atmosphere cinema-style, this is the way to do it.
There are plenty of apps pre-installed, though a lack of Freeview Play means it misses some key streamers, such as BBC iPlayer. You can access them with a Fire TV stick but it means an extra cost and faff, of course. Elsewhere, gamers are taken care of with HDMI 2.1 and next-gen gaming specs, though it’s worth noting that it only has two HDMI 2.1 ports (as opposed to four, which you’ll find on other TVs on this list). That does limit how many consoles or souped-up Blu-ray players you can connect at once, but there are also two 2.0 ports.
We also have to give a shoutout to its sound system. This is the one instance in which you donât necessarily need a soundbar. It has a very competitive audio system that sets it apart from other TVs. And itâs designed to work with Dolby Atmos for the best possible sound performance.
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You donât have to spend crazy money to get a Samsung 4K smart TV. The Samsung Q80D is more affordable than the previously recommended premium model, and you wonât have to compromise (well, not too much) on technology. Itâs rated as one of the very best 4K TVs within its price range.
Using QLED display technology (not Samsungâs Neo QLED variation though), it looks fantastic and utilises a selection of the manufacturerâs visual specs, including Real Depth Enhancer, 4K AI upscaling, Quantum Dots for boosting the brightness and enriching colours, and Quantum HDR+. All of which translates to realistic, highly-detailed, eye-nourishing visuals.
As for sound, it supports Q-Symphony when you pair it with a soundbar as well as Object Tracking Sound Lite, which sends the sound to different speakers depending on where the action is happening on screen. In other words, the audio follows the action and then puts you at the centre of it.
This is also great for gamers thanks to a selection of gaming-specific features. It has Motion Xcelerator 120Hz for ultra-smooth visuals with an ultra-low lag, plus FreeSynch Premium Pro to reduce stuttering and screen tearing. Thereâs a Gaming Hub that gives you access to Xbox and streaming games while the TV can detect when youâve switched on your console and switches to game mode. You can further optimise the settings using the dedicated Game Bar.
It isnât the peak of Samsungâs audio-visual technology â youâll have to pay the big bucks for that â but itâs close enough if you’re not too fussy. It also includes 800+ free channels through Samsung TV Plus and all your favourite streaming apps via the Tizen OS. It even has Alexa to help you search endless content.
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As one of Sony’s âcognitive intelligenceâ TVs, the Sony A90K is a technical evolution. It has a Cognitive Processor XR that analyses images much like our brains do. It divides the picture into different zones and recognises objects within those zones. This cross-analysis balances every aspect and hones in on focal points â just as the human eye does. It’s really very clever.
It creates a sensational picture â deep, rich, nuanced, and realistic â with class-leading motion processing. The same goes for this TVâs sound, which comes via Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech. This uses actuators to turn the screen display itself into a speaker. Sound emits from the action on-screen.Â
The main reason weâve included this TV is that while most top-of-the-like 4K sets go big â the standard tends to be 55-inch and upwards â the A90K comes in more modest screen sizes. It hardly matters that itâs smaller â itâs still packing the spec you find on bigger TVs, particularly when it comes to gaming. The A90K boasts HDMI 2.1 , VRR, and ALLM and syncs with Sony’s own PS5. In fact, letâs make it clear: If youâre a PS5 player, itâs a great option.
It’s powered by Google TV, which youâll find a breeze to use. UK-specific catch-up apps are missing, but the TV makes up for it with Bravia Core, an exclusive app for Sony movies. And for the TV this size, the picture is exceptional. Weâre big fans of the remote control too, which has a backlight â handy for finding those buttons when youâve got the lights off.
This TV might seem pricey for the screen size, but it comes highly recommended: A big contender for smaller rooms.
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Amazonâs range of Alexa devices now extends to the acclaimed Amazon Fire TV Omni, which delivers way above the price (which is usually discounted even further). Sure, itâs not an impulse buy, but weâre talking 4K smart TVs here. These things donât come cheap. And it really does pack an audio-visual punch.
Using QLED display technology, the picture is vibrant and detailed, bolstered by HDR technology â including Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive â while built-in sensors adjust the screen brightness depending on ambient light levels. That means a perfect image whatever time of day it is.
As part of the Alexa family of smart devices, itâs especially good for integrating within Alexa smart homes. Not only can you control the TV with voice commands (just tell Alexa what you want to watch) it also syncs with devices such as Echo speakers, allowing to do all the usual stuff you expect from Alexa, such as controlling your lights, thermostat, and other compatible devices. More than that, though, it pairs with Echo speakers for immersive surround sound. We recommend the Echo Studio for the home cinema experience.
In addition to all that brilliance, the Amazon Fire TV Omni features all your favourite streaming apps, plus Freeview HD for watching live TV. Thereâs also a selection of streaming games via Amazon Luna. Or simply download games onto the TV from the Amazon App Store. It also has HDMI 2.1 and gaming spec such as VRR and ALLM. Perfect for hooking up a next gen console.
Overall, the Amazon Fire TV Omni is a one-stop entertainment system. For the price, youâd be hard pressed to find a better smart TV.
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Despite how it might look based on the rest of this roundup, it is possible to get a decent enough 4K smart TV for just a few hundred pounds. If that sounds attractive to you, we recommend the Toshiba QF5D, which comes at a surprisingly low price for a 55-inch set. Itâs not the most up to date, and itâs certainly not the sexiest smart TV around, but if youâre looking for an entry level 4K TV, or you just want to keep the costs down (I mean, who doesnât?), you could do much worse than this Toshiba model.
It’s driven by TRU Picture engine technology and boasts Dolby Vision HDR. As for actual content, this TV runs on Amazonâs Fire TV OS, which means all the streaming and catch-up apps you could possibly want. On the subject of Amazon tech, you also get Alexa. Just tell Alexa what you’re in the mood to watch â or even turn the volume and down â and sheâll happily oblige. The TV can sync and control other smart devices, too, which is a handy bonus.
Of course, there are compromises at this price point. Some of the HDR tech isnât up to scratch when compared to higher ticket models, so the extreme bright and dark areas lack detail and clarity â but these are minor quibbles for anyone who doesnât necessarily need the latest all-singing, all-dancing home cinema set up. If your priority is value for money, or getting a high resolution at a pleasingly low price, the Toshiba QF5D is a solid choice.
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Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming services, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable’s sister site, AskMen.
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.
