So you want a new TV? Whether you want a screen for sports, gaming or streaming shows and movies, there’s a TV here to meet your needs. I’ve reviewed most of the current TVs head-to-head in a dedicated lab to help you find the TV that offers the best picture quality, the right size for your room, and, most of all, the best price.
Our Picks
Bottom Line
8.8
After testing most of the prominent 2026 TVs on the market, I believe I have found the best TV of the year: the TCL QM8L. It improves on the a…
Pros & Cons
- The TCL QM8L is one of the brightest TVs yet
- This TV has excellent color and contrast
- It’s simply great for gaming
- LG C6 OLED has better contrast at the same price
- More reflective of ambient light than its peers
Bottom Line
Though it’s a 2025 TV, the Samsung S90F has a lot going for it. It’s relatively affordable, super-light, easy to install and delivers some of …
Pros & Cons
- The Samsung S90F delivers excellent image quality
- Fast motion for gamers
- It lacks the step-up model’s glare free coating
- No Dolby Vision
Bottom Line
While every other OLED TV to date has shown modest year-over-year increases, the LG G5 was a massive improvement over its predecessor. The G5 …
Pros & Cons
- The G5 has the highest brightness of any OLED TV yet
- It’s capable of stunning image quality
- Brightness boost is not visible in all content
- Remote is not as good as previous versions
- Expensive compared to LG C5
Bottom Line
8.2
The biggest breakout technology of 2026 is TVs with RGB backlights, and the best of the lot is the Sony Braiew
Bottom Line
Key to the Hisense QD7QF’s success is full-array local dimming — a display tech you usually only find in more expensive TVs — and it’s somet…
Pros & Cons
- The Hisense QD7QF has excellent image quality thanks to local dimming
- It’s bright compared to rivals
- This TV is great for gaming
- Not much of note
The TVs on this list are the best models you can currently buy, from high-end QLED and OLED TVs to midrange mini-LED TVs and cheap 4K smart TVs. CNET has awarded the TCL QM8L two awards — an Editor’s Choice for Best TV of 2026, as well as a Labs Award for Brightest TV. In addition, last year’s LG G5 is the winner of the first Labs Award for Best Color Accuracy.
It’s worth nothing half of this list is from 2025 or even earlier. This is because TVs are a stable technology, and year-to-year improvements are usually minor, which means you can buy a TV similar to a current model for a fraction of the price.
Added Sony Braed. Updated all pricing and availability
These are the best TVs for 2026
Best TV of 2026
TCL QM8L
- The TCL QM8L is one of the brightest TVs yet
- This TV has excellent color and contrast
- It’s simply great for gaming
- LG C6 OLED has better contrast at the same price
- More reflective of ambient light than its peers
After testing most of the prominent 2026 TVs on the market, I believe I have found the best TV of the year: the TCL QM8L. It improves on the award-winning QM8K in almost every meaningful way, and still manages to take on more expensive TVs and win. It’s brighter, more colorful, and better for gaming, to boot.
Though the technology of the moment is MiniRGB LED, TCL has stuck to its guns with a QLED TV variant that improves the quantum dots and makes them “super.” The result is more colors and better compatibility with future video formats.
Though an OLED like theLG C5 or C6 will give you better contrast for the same price or better, there is nothing out there right now that can match the TCL QM8L for brightness, picture quality, and value for money. This is the best TV I’ve seen in 2026 and a deserving Editors’ Choice.
The Samsung S90F OLED TV is available in sizes between 42-inch and 83-inches. / Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Best value TV
Samsung S90F
- The Samsung S90F delivers excellent image quality
- Fast motion for gamers
- It lacks the step-up model’s glare free coating
- No Dolby Vision
Though it’s a 2025 TV, the Samsung S90F has a lot going for it. It’s relatively affordable, super-light, easy to install and delivers some of the best images I’ve ever seen. It’s great for gaming, too, with super-low lag scores and well-saturated colors. It dispenses the “infinite black” of the best OLEDs, pairing it winningly with excellent shadow detail.
The only ding against it, like all Samsung TVs, is that it doesn’t support Dolby Vision, but HDR10 Plus is more than enough for most purposes. Also, it lacks the step-up S95F’s light-rejecting coating, so it is not as good in a lit room as that TV.
All in all, though, the Samsung S90F is a fantastic TV with great contrast and highly saturated colors, bringing cinema-like images into your home.
Best color accuracy of 2026
LG OLED G5
- The G5 has the highest brightness of any OLED TV yet
- It’s capable of stunning image quality
- Brightness boost is not visible in all content
- Remote is not as good as previous versions
- Expensive compared to LG C5
While every other OLED TV to date has shown modest year-over-year increases, the LG G5 was a massive improvement over its predecessor. The G5 has better color than any other TV I’ve tested in the past 12 months, including its replacement the G6, and the G5 is the winner of the CNET Labs Award for Best Color Accuracy. It’s a lot better for gaming, too. For the right person, the extra $700 for the G5 over the step-down C5 is worth it.
With its high brightness, the G5 is also great for use in a lit room, though in my testing it’s behind the excellent Samsung S95F, Samsung S90H and the newer G6 in reducing glare.
With excellent clarity, punchy contrast and bold color, the LG G5 is the model to choose if you want the best combination of picture quality and brightness.
Best RGB LED of 2026
Sony Bra
The biggest breakout technology of 2026 is TVs with RGB backlights, and the best of the lot is the Sony Braof colors into your living space, and it pairs this with the company’s reputation for picture quality. The Brarade off is that it’s also one of the most expensive TVs out there
The G6 OLED may not has as many colors, though the benefits of the BT.2020 standard are still unrealized, the LG TV boasts better accuracy, black levels and a better price. While I would direct anyone to buy an OLED over an RGB LED, if you gotta have the latest and greatest technology, then the Sony BRAVIA 9 II is the one to choose.
Best budget TV
Hisense QD7QF
- The Hisense QD7QF has excellent image quality thanks to local dimming
- It’s bright compared to rivals
- This TV is great for gaming
- Not much of note
Key to the Hisense QD7QF’s success is full-array local dimming — a display tech you usually only find in more expensive TVs — and it’s something the previous QD7N also lacked. As a result, this Hisense has a level of picture quality I’ve never seen before in a TV this cheap. The enhanced levels of contrast give images a solidity that meant the Hisense was unmatched.
Adding to its superior picture was its higher brightness — over twice that of other 2025 budget TVs I tested head-to-head — and this boosts immersion in video games as well.
As I write this, the 50-inch I reviewed is out of stock, but the larger 55-inch is still available for a higher, but still decent, price of $499.
Other TVs I’ve tested
Samsung S95F OLED: Though it’s over a year old now, the Samsung’s S95F combines great picture quality, super-fast gaming and superior antiglare. Read my review of the 2025 Samsung S95F.
LG G6 OLED: Not quite as good as the G5 in some respects, and certainly more expensive, but it is preferable to the older model if you want to watch TV in a lit room — its antireflective layer is great. Read my review of the 2026 LG G6.
TCL QM8KLast year’s TCL was also at the top of CNET’s list of the best TVs for the past few years, and it’s still a great television. It’s available for much less than the current QM8L and is almost as good, making it a bargain. Read my review of the TCL QM8K.
Samsung S95H OLED: I had big hopes for the Samsung S95H as it’s able to show static artwork, which is a big no-no for most OLED TVs. The TV is still good, but its color isn’t as accurate as its rival directly above. Read my review of the Samsung S95H.
Hisense U8Q: An excellent TV, the Hisense U8Q goes tit-for-tat against the TCL QM8K and it’s also a lot brighter. Read my review of the Hisense U8QG.
Roku Pro Series: If you want a TV that’s also a Roku, this is the best one yet, though third-party models may give you better picture quality. Read my full review of the Roku Pro Series TV.
LG C5: Like the Samsung S90F, this is an excellent OLED TV for watching TV or playing games. It’s a fine TV, but the S90F is better. Read my review of the LG C5 TV.
How CNET tests TVs
In every CNET TV review, I compare three or more similar TVs side by side in a dedicated, light-controlled test lab. With each review, I employ a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed over more than two decades of TV reviews. I test TVs with a combination of scientific measurements and real-world evaluations of TV, movies and gaming content.
To evaluate picture quality, I use an AVPro Connect 8×8 4K HDR splitter so each TV receives the same signal. I test the TVs using various lighting conditions, playing different media, including 4K HDR movies and console games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR.
To measure each TV, I use specialized equipment to grade according to light output and color. My hardware includes a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer and a Murideo Six-G 4K HDR signal generator. I use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate every TV I review according to its brightness, black levels and color.
To determine a television’s color accuracy, I compare three results in every TV’s Geek Box chart: Avg color error (primary and secondary colors), Avg grayscale error (10 measurements of gray from almost black to white) and Colormatch HDR error (over 20 HDR colors). With these three tests, I can compare almost 50 data points of how each TV’s color output varies against its input. By averaging these values, I can then pick the one with the lowest overall value. In 2026, the Labs Award for Best Color Accuracy belongs to the LG G5 OLED.
My reviews also account for such things as features, design, smart TV performance, connectivity including HDMI inputs and gaming compatibility.
Check out How CNET Tests TVs for more details.
Factors to consider when choosing a TV
With all of the TVs available today, and all of the technical terms and jargon associated with television technology, it can be tough to figure out what’s important. Here’s a quick guide to help cut through the confusion.
Picture quality:Broadly speaking, the type of display technology helps dictate how good a TV’s picture quality is, but OLED is typically the best display technology, and this is followed by LCD (including QLED, and Mini LED). OLED tends to have the best picture quality because it doesn’t need a backlight, and every pixel can be either on or off, leading to great black levels. In comparison, each LED in a backlight looks after multiple pixels at a time, so it isn’t as precise — it’s not yet 1:1. Among midrange models, look for a feature including full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture in my experience. Additionally, if a TV uses Quantum Dots, it often leads to better color performance, whether it’s an OLED or an LCD.
Screen size: Bigger is better in my book. I recommend a size of at least 43 inches for a bedroom TV and at least 55 inches for a living room or main TV — and 65 inches or larger is best. More than any “feature,” stepping up to a larger TV screen size is the best use of your money. One of the most common post-TV-purchase complaints I’ve heard is from people who didn’t go big enough. And I rarely hear people complain that their TV is too large. It’s worth adding that while TVs can get really big indeed, 4K resolution is sufficient for even the biggest models, and CNET doesn’t recommend any 8K TVs as they represent a poor comparative value.
Price: TVs range in price from $100 to more than $2,000. Smaller screens are cheaper, well-known brands are more expensive and spending more money can also get you better image quality. Most entry-level TVs have a good enough picture for most people, but TVs last a long time, so it might be worth spending more to get a better picture. It’s also best to shop for a TV in the fall when prices are lower.
Sound quality: Every TV has some sort of built-in speaker, but in my twenty years of reviewing AV equipment the sound of modern TVs has been routinely terrible. While I do test the audio on each model, if you are serious about sound quality, buying a separate soundbar (from $100) or a home theater system will instantly improve key aspects such as speech and bass reproduction.
Smart TV: Among entry-level TVs the most important feature is what kind of smart TV system the TV uses, and while some are proprietary to each brand (Samsung and LG) some models do offer Roku and Google TV.
For more TV buying advice check out How to Buy a TV.
TV brightness according to CNET’s testing
One important aspect of image quality I test is overall brightness using the CS-2000 spectroradiometer. Here’s how brightness compares in nits across select TVs listed above. Read TVs Are Getting Uncomfortably Bright, and This is Why for more information on how the most recent models fared.
Color accuracy of 2025 TVs
| Avg. Grayscale error | Avg Color error | ColorMatch HDR | Average (lower is better) | |
| LG G5 (2025) | 1.66 | 1.8 | 1.63 | 1.70 |
| Samsung S90F (2025) | 2.02 | 1.26 | 2.2 | 1.83 |
| Hisense U8Q (2025) | 2.03 | 1.93 | 2.65 | 2.20 |
| Samsung S95F (2025) | 1.14 | 3.65 | 1.9 | 2.23 |
| TCL QM8L | 2.9 | 3.14 | 3.81 | 3.28 |
| LG G6 | 2.21 | 2.24 | 5.78 | 3.41 |
| TCL QM6K (2025) | 3.07 | 2.23 | 6.33 | 3.88 |
| Sony Bravia 8 II (2025) | 7.15 | 2.22 | 3.28 | 4.22 |
| TCL QM9K (2025) | 4.50 | 3.67 | 5.26 | 4.48 |
| TCL QM8K (2025) | 5.42 | 7.23 | 3.36 | 5.34 |
| LG C5 (2025) | 1.06 | 1.08 | 17.01 | 6.38 |
| Roku Pro (2025) | 4.78 | 2.35 | 15.15 | 7.43 |
| Samsung S95H | 3.51 | 1.68 | 17.38 | 7.52 |
FAQs on the best TVs of 2026
How much should I spend on a TV?
Prices vary widely by size and features, from less than $100 for basic 24-inch TVs to more than $2,000 for big OLED models. TVs last a long time, so we think it’s worthwhile to spend a little extra beyond the bare minimum to get a bigger screen, better picture quality or better features. With that in mind, here are some ballpark prices that will get you a very good TV in 2026.
- 55-inch: $700
- 65-inch: $1,000
- 75-inch: $1,300
You could pay (much) more or less. The fact is that just about any TV will produce a picture decent enough to satisfy most viewers. Most complaints you read in user reviews aren’t about picture quality. Instead, they’re about ease of use, smart TV menus or sound (or a broken TV).
What size TV should I buy?
In our opinion, bigger is better, and your money is best spent on large screen sizes rather than a slight upgrade in image quality. The answer also depends on room size and seating distance. If you have a big room and sit farther away, you’ll want a bigger TV.
Which is better, OLED or LED?
In our reviews, OLED TVs, which use organic light-emitting diode technology, have always had better picture quality than LED TVs, which are essentially LCD TVs that use LED backlights. The main reason is that OLED TVs can produce a perfectly dark shade of black with no stray illumination or blooming, which leads to better contrast and pop. LED TVs can get brighter and usually cost less than OLED TVs.
What is the best smart TV system for streaming?
At CNET, our favorite is Roku for its simplicity, but different systems like Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung and LG have different strengths, particularly for voice commands. In any case, we don’t consider the built-in smart TV system that important because you can always connect a streaming device to any TV.
How do I get the best TV sound?
Most TVs sound terrible because their thin cabinets don’t have room for decent-size speakers or a bass. If you want to get good sound, you should buy an external audio system. Even an inexpensive soundbar will deliver much better audio quality than a TV’s built-in speakers.
