The 8 Best TVs of 2025: Unpacking Top Picks for Your Ultimate Viewing Experience

The world of home entertainment is constantly evolving, with new televisions pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of picture quality, features, and overall immersive experiences. As we step into 2025, the choices can be overwhelming, but fear not, fellow enthusiasts! Our dedicated experts have been hard at work, sifting through the latest innovations and rigorously testing the top contenders to bring you a definitive guide to the best TVs on the market. From budget-friendly marvels to high-end cinematic masterpieces, this year’s lineup offers something truly spectacular for every kind of viewer.

Our “Top Tested Picks” represent the pinnacle of current television technology, each vetted for currency and availability, ensuring you’re getting the most up-to-date recommendations. We’ve evaluated a diverse range of models, paying close attention to everything from screen brightness and color accuracy to refresh rates and smart TV platforms. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer seeking the lowest input lag, a cinephile craving the deepest blacks and most vibrant HDR, or simply someone looking for the best overall value, we’ve got you covered with detailed insights and analytical breakdowns.

Join us as we dive deep into the first half of our carefully curated selection of the best TVs for 2025. These are the screens that truly stand out, offering exceptional performance and innovative features that redefine what you can expect from your home entertainment center. Prepare to be amazed by the technological strides made this year, as we break down why these models earned their spot among the elite.

1. **Hisense U65QF: Brightest Budget-Friendly TV**Kicking off our list is the Hisense U65QF, an absolute game-changer for those seeking a brilliant picture without breaking the bank. Our testing revealed that this particular model is “the brightest TV I’ve ever seen in its price range,” a truly remarkable feat for a budget-friendly option. It boasts a bright, colorful picture with wide and accurate color that also “swings well above its class,” making it an undeniable value proposition.

The technical specifications further underscore its prowess, featuring an LED panel type and a 65-inch screen size with a crisp 3,840 by 2,160 resolution. What truly sets it apart, especially for gamers, is its impressive 144Hz refresh rate coupled with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ensuring smooth, tear-free visuals. It also supports popular HDR formats like Dolby Vision and HDR-10, enhancing the dynamic range of your content.

While its Amazon Fire TV smart TV platform “lacks some of the niceties of Hisense’s higher-end Google TV-powered TVs, like hands-free voice control and Google Cast,” it remains an incredibly capable system. However, for its price, these are minor trade-offs. The U65QF also includes Apple AirPlay support, adding to its versatility, though it does exhibit “some light bloom” in certain scenarios.

This TV is unequivocally for “anyone who wants a bright, colorful TV without spending a lot of money.” Its appeal extends even further if you’re eyeing a really large screen, with the context noting that “a 100-inch model can be had for under $2,000!” This makes a massive, high-quality display accessible to a much broader audience, proving that top-tier performance doesn’t always come with an exorbitant price tag. With four HDMI ports, streaming services access, and an input lag of 4.6 ms at 1080p120, the Hisense U65QF is a phenomenal choice for budget-conscious buyers.

2. **LG Evo G5 OLED TV: Best OLED TV**For those whose budget allows for a truly premium viewing experience, the LG Evo G5 OLED TV stands as a testament to cutting-edge display technology. This model is simply “the best OLED TV we’ve tested,” delivering an “incredibly bright” picture for an OLED, which traditionally are known for deep blacks but not extreme brightness. Its “fantastic color range and accuracy” are hallmarks of OLED technology, presenting visuals with unparalleled vibrancy and realism.

The Evo G5 doesn’t just excel in picture quality; it’s also “packed full of features.” It boasts a 165Hz VRR with both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, making it an absolute dream for serious gamers looking for the smoothest possible gameplay. The sleek design of this television is another major highlight, engineered to be mounted “nearly flush on the wall.” In fact, the context explicitly states, “you’ll have to mount it on the wall, because it doesn’t come with a table stand,” emphasizing its aesthetic and installation considerations.

Under the hood, this 65-inch OLED panel offers a stunning 3,840 by 2,160 resolution and supports Dolby Vision and HDR-10. With four HDMI ports and streaming services readily available, it’s a complete package for modern entertainment. While it is certainly “expensive” and “no ATSC 3.0” is a minor con, these points are easily overshadowed by its phenomenal performance and features.

Ultimately, the LG Evo G5 OLED TV is “splurge-worthy,” an investment that “justifies its price with an incredible picture.” However, potential buyers should “be prepared to pay extra for installation on your wall or be ready (and very careful) with a power drill and two extra pairs of hands” if they plan a DIY setup. Its screen brightness of 1608 nits is truly impressive for an OLED, offering deep blacks and vibrant colors that make any content pop, establishing it as a top-tier choice for discerning viewers.

3. **Hisense U8QG: Best Overall Value**Hisense once again proves its dominance in delivering exceptional value with the U8QG, the latest iteration in a lineage of high-end Hisense TVs that consistently impress us. This model truly “wow[s] us with their performance and the fantastic value they offer,” striking a remarkable balance between premium features and an accessible price point. It’s an “incredibly bright picture,” even surpassing its already blazing predecessor, the U8N, and delivers “deep blacks” that rival more expensive technologies.

Beyond its dazzling brightness, the U8QG excels with “wide and accurate colors,” ensuring that every scene is rendered with lifelike fidelity. A standout feature is its “built-in 4.1.2-channel spatial audio speaker system,” which delivers an immersive sound experience right out of the box, reducing the immediate need for an external soundbar. This integrated audio solution is a significant advantage, particularly for those seeking a streamlined home theater setup.

Connectivity is another strong suit, featuring a “165Hz VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro” for gamers, along with Apple AirPlay and Google Cast for seamless content sharing. A particularly clever addition is the “conveniently side-mounted USB-C port that accepts DisplayPort signals,” allowing for easy, lag-free connection of smaller devices directly to the screen. While it “doesn’t offer quite the inky, bloom-free blacks of OLED TVs,” the context reminds us that “for that technology, you’ll be paying two to three times as much.”

Despite being “pricier than its predecessor,” the U8QG remains “an excellent value considering the picture and features you get for the price.” It’s important to note its sole drawback: “it oddly only has three HDMI ports,” which could be a consideration for users with multiple gaming consoles, a gaming PC, and a soundbar. This might necessitate dealing with a visible wire from the side if all devices are to remain hooked up. With a remarkable screen brightness of 3200 nits, the Hisense U8QG is a powerhouse offering incredible performance for its segment.

“Samsung Curved UHD TV” by Janitors is licensed under CC BY 2.0

4. **Roku Pro Series (2025): Best Roku TV**For many users, simplicity and a straightforward streaming experience are paramount, and that’s precisely where the Roku Pro Series (2025) shines, earning its title as the “Best Roku TV.” This television is built around the intuitive Roku OS platform, which our experts find “much simpler, more direct, and media-focused than most other smart TV platforms.” It’s an ideal choice for “less tech-savvy users who want to enjoy streaming” without the complexities often associated with other smart systems.

The Roku Pro Series delivers a “bright, colorful picture” that makes all your favorite content pop. Its “simple, easy-to-use interface” ensures that navigating through apps and finding what you want to watch is a breeze. Beyond the user-friendly OS, this model is equipped with a suite of convenient features, including “hands-free voice control” and a “remote finder button,” which can be incredibly helpful in a bustling household.

While it “doesn’t have a full voice assistant or a huge smart home ecosystem it can manage” like some competitors, its strength lies in its dedicated media focus. It “makes it easy to search for media and jump quickly into whatever service you want.” This laser focus on streaming functionality, combined with Apple AirPlay support, positions it as a highly practical and enjoyable television for daily use.

Under the hood, this LED TV features a 65-inch screen with 3,840 by 2,160 resolution, supporting Dolby Vision and HDR-10 for enhanced visuals. With a 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium Pro, it’s also capable for gaming and sports. The Roku Pro Series (2025) is easily recommended “if you want a TV that’s just a good-looking screen without an Alexa-like voice assistant,” offering a premium viewing experience with an emphasis on user-friendliness and streaming efficiency. Its screen brightness clocks in at 1941 nits, providing vibrant images even in well-lit rooms.

5. **Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: Best Hands-Free Fire TV**Continuing our journey through the best TVs of 2025, we arrive at a fantastic option for those deeply integrated into Amazon’s ecosystem: the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED. Our experts found this to be Amazon’s strongest television offering to date, significantly outperforming its predecessors. It delivers a bright picture with well-balanced color reproduction and robust contrast, making all your streaming content look vibrant and engaging.

What truly sets this model apart is its seamless integration with Alexa. It features hands-free Alexa capabilities, which means you can control your TV, search for content, or even manage your smart home devices simply by speaking to it, without needing to pick up a remote. This level of convenience is a major draw for users who already rely on Amazon’s voice assistant for their daily tasks. Additionally, it supports Apple AirPlay 2, expanding its compatibility for Apple users.

Under the hood, this Mini-LED powerhouse boasts a 120Hz native refresh rate, with support for up to 144Hz VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, making it an excellent choice for gamers seeking fluid, tear-free visuals. Despite its impressive feature set and advanced display technology, the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED remains reasonably priced, aligning with the cost of higher-end Google TVs from competitors like Hisense and TCL. While its color gamut isn’t as wide as some competitors and it can exhibit some light bloom, these are minor trade-offs for its overall performance and value. Its screen brightness clocks in at a respectable 1623 nits.

“SONY PRODUCT LAUNCH [SONY A1 OLED 4k ULTRA HD TV]-128294” by infomatique is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

6. **Samsung S95F: Best Surround Sound**For audiophiles and cinephiles prioritizing an immersive sound experience straight out of the box, the Samsung S95F is an undeniable contender, standing out as the ‘Best Surround Sound’ TV. This television sports a very bright OLED panel, a rare and highly sought-after combination, delivering the signature perfect blacks and infinite contrast of OLED technology, coupled with excellent color performance. It truly brings cinematic visuals to life with stunning clarity and depth.

But the S95F’s real star power lies in its integrated audio system. It features a sophisticated 4.2.2-channel speaker system, which utilizes both side- and upward-firing drivers to produce a remarkably immersive spatial audio field. This means you can enjoy a multi-dimensional sound experience without needing to invest in an additional soundbar or a complex external speaker system. For those who do wish to expand their audio, Samsung’s Q-Symphony technology allows for seamless integration with compatible Q-series soundbars, utilizing the TV’s own speakers in harmony with the soundbar for an even grander soundstage.

Design-wise, the S95F also incorporates Samsung’s innovative One Connect Box, which offloads all of the TV’s ports to a separate enclosure. This box connects to the screen via a single, thin wire, significantly aiding in cable management and allowing for a much cleaner setup, keeping all your various devices and their wires neatly out of sight. While it is certainly an expensive option, lacks ATSC 3.0 and Dolby Vision support (opting for HDR10 instead), and only supports Wi-Fi 5, its exceptional picture quality and groundbreaking audio capabilities make it a superb centerpiece for any serious home theater. Its screen brightness reaches 1364 nits.

Two guitarists playing on a stage with bright stage lights — Photo by Andrey Matveev on Unsplash

7. **Hisense 116UX: Brightest and Most Colorful Picture**Pushing the boundaries of display technology, the Hisense 116UX is a truly cutting-edge television that earns its title as delivering the ‘Brightest and Most Colorful Picture’ we’ve ever seen. This colossal 116-inch RGB-MiniLED panel represents a significant leap forward in backlight innovation. Unlike most LED TVs that use white or blue LEDs, the 116UX employs clusters of red, green, and blue lights, which can be individually dimmed or brightened. This precise control not only dramatically enhances the panel’s contrast but also expands its color range to an incredible degree, resulting in visuals that are nothing short of breathtaking.

Beyond its unparalleled picture, the Hisense 116UX complements its stunning visuals with an equally impressive audio experience. It integrates a built-in 6.2.2-channel spatial audio system, ensuring that the sound lives up to the extraordinary picture quality. This comprehensive audio solution provides an immersive soundscape that draws viewers deeper into their content. The television also comes with a thoughtful addition: a rechargeable solar remote, highlighting a commitment to user convenience and sustainability.

Connectivity options are robust, including a conveniently accessible DisplayPort-to-USB-C port, making it easy to hook up various devices. However, this level of advanced technology and sheer size comes with a significant price tag, making it ‘really expensive’ and likely out of reach for most budgets. It also shares a minor drawback with its sibling, the U8QG, in having only three HDMI ports, which might be a consideration for users with multiple media sources. Despite some light bloom, its astonishing screen brightness of 4012 nits makes the Hisense 116UX a marvel of modern television engineering, perfect for those with ample space and a desire for the absolute best.

“CES 2013 – Hisense smart TV” by nodomain1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

8. **SunBriteTV Veranda 3 Series: Best Outdoor TV**Rounding out our top-tested picks for 2025 is a specialist television designed to bring premium entertainment beyond the confines of your living room: the SunBriteTV Veranda 3 Series, our pick for the ‘Best Outdoor TV.’ This unit is ruggedized from the ground up to withstand the rigors of outdoor environments, meaning it’s built to survive extreme temperatures, rain, snow, and dirt. This robust construction is the primary reason for the higher cost associated with outdoor displays, ensuring durability without compromising on visual quality.

Despite its hard-wearing exterior, the Veranda 3 Series delivers a wide and accurate color range, with full support for Dolby Vision, ensuring that your outdoor viewing experience is just as vibrant and engaging as indoors. While it is designed specifically for use in full shade, it performs admirably in reducing glare, enhancing visibility even on brighter days. Its Android TV platform further enhances its appeal, providing access to phone mirroring, all major streaming services, and convenient voice control via the remote, making it a truly smart outdoor entertainment hub.

The SunBriteTV Veranda 3 excels where other outdoor TVs often fall short, offering excellent color range and accuracy, combined with a comprehensive suite of smart TV features. While it doesn’t include a stand and is admittedly expensive, its rock-solid build quality, low input lag, and superior picture make it the ideal choice for anyone looking to create a premium entertainment zone on their covered deck or patio. Its screen brightness of 722.53 nits is optimized for its shaded environment.

### Buying Guide: What to Look for in a New TV

Now that we’ve explored the top contenders, let’s arm you with the knowledge to make your own informed decision. The world of television technology can be complex, but understanding a few key aspects will guide you to your perfect screen.

#### Resolution: 4K, The Undisputed Standard (and Why You Can Skip 8K for Now)

For years, resolution was a primary differentiator, moving from 720p to 1080p, and then to Ultra HD or 4K. As we stand in 2025, the resolution question has largely flattened: 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) is now the universal standard for medium-sized and larger televisions from every major manufacturer. You would genuinely struggle to find a TV larger than 40 inches from a reputable brand that isn’t 4K. The good news is that this higher resolution no longer carries a price premium, making excellent 65-inch 4K TVs available for under $1,000.

So, what about 8K? Despite supporting the HDMI 2.1 standard, 8K (7,680 by 4,320 pixels) is simply not something to worry about at present. While 8K TVs are available as premium, significantly more expensive models, there’s virtually no consumer-ready 8K media. No major studios or distributors have even discussed releasing 8K content, and there are no physical or streaming media standards to support commercial 8K releases. At best, you might watch upconverted 4K video, but that’s not a compelling reason to ‘burn lots of cash.’ For the foreseeable future, 4K is king, and 8K will not be replacing it anytime soon.

#### Smart TV Functionalities and Streaming Services

Almost every modern TV now comes equipped with web apps and built-in Wi-Fi through a smart TV platform. Manufacturers like LG, Samsung, and Vizio develop their own first-party platforms, while others, including Hisense, Sony, and TCL, leverage third-party systems like Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Roku TV. These platforms universally offer access to all major streaming services, such as Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, and YouTube, alongside features like voice assistants, local media streaming, and downloadable apps and games.

An increasingly common and desirable feature is Apple AirPlay 2, now available on new TVs from a wide range of brands including Hisense, LG, Roku, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Vizio. This allows seamless content streaming from your iPhone or iPad directly to your television. Furthermore, the Apple TV app, complete with its Apple TV+ service, is now available across all major smart TV platforms, meaning you can enjoy Apple’s video content on nearly any TV without the need for a separate Apple TV 4K box, which was once a necessity.

#### High Dynamic Range (HDR): A Worthwhile Upgrade

Beyond 4K resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a video technology that significantly enhances the viewing experience. While it doesn’t change the resolution, HDR content transmits a much broader range of color and luminance information to the display. Thanks to advancements in LCD and OLED panel technology, high-end televisions can now display wider color gamuts and finer gradients of light and dark, breaking past the limitations of older standard video formats.

There are three primary HDR standards with commercially available content: HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. HDR10 is an open standard using 10-bit color values, with televisions meeting its minimum brightness and contrast certified as UltraHD Premium. Dolby Vision, a closed standard from Dolby, supports 12-bit color and dynamically adjusts ranges based on the display and scene. Samsung offers HDR10+, which introduces variable metadata for scene-by-scene brightness adjustments, acting as their alternative to Dolby Vision. Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) is another standard from the BBC and NHK, designed to be backward compatible with standard dynamic range TVs. All major streaming services and Ultra HD Blu-rays now support HDR in either HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision, making HDR-capable televisions a clear step up in picture quality.

#### OLED vs. QLED: Choosing Your Panel Technology

When it comes to panel technology, the choice often boils down to OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) or QLED (Quantum Dot LED). Generally, QLED TVs, which are LCD-based LED TVs, tend to be brighter and more affordable, but may exhibit imperfect shadow detail. They perform exceptionally well in rooms with abundant natural light or where you can’t control ambient lighting. OLED TVs, on the other hand, are renowned for their incredible color reproduction and perfect black levels, achieved by individual pixel illumination, but historically they haven’t been as bright as QLED panels. An OLED shines in a dedicated home theater environment where outside light can be effectively blocked.

However, the distinctions between these two technologies are rapidly blurring. OLED TVs are continually getting brighter and more affordable, while QLED TVs are incorporating smaller and more numerous mini-LEDs for their backlights, approaching OLED-like black levels. Your decision should ultimately depend on your budget and the specific lighting conditions of the room where the TV will be placed. There isn’t a universally ‘better’ option, but rather a best fit for your personal viewing habits and environment.

#### Dispelling Myths: Refresh Rates and Contrast Ratios

Navigating TV specifications can be daunting, but two common terms often lead to confusion: refresh rate and contrast ratio. It’s safe to largely ignore them when making your decision. Refresh rate, expressed in hertz (Hz), is the speed at which the TV’s panel updates its image. While a faster rate theoretically means a smoother image, in reality, 60Hz is perfectly adequate for most films and TV content, and 120Hz is ample for video games and sports. Higher numbers (e.g., 240Hz, 480Hz) often refer to interpolated frames or backlight flickering tricks rather than the panel’s native refresh rate, and can even create a jarring ‘soap opera effect’ if not turned off for most content.

Contrast ratio, which measures the difference between the darkest black and brightest white a panel can display, is another spec often inflated by manufacturers. There isn’t a standardized method for measuring this, leading vendors to quote wildly different, often incomparable, ratios. While a high contrast ratio is desirable, relying on manufacturer-stated numbers is unreliable. Our expert reviews, however, provide consistent and trustworthy measurements. Historically, only OLED TVs achieved ‘infinite’ contrast with perfect black levels, but recent advancements in mini-LED backlight systems in some LED TVs are now allowing them to offer equally perfect black levels with minimal light bloom.

#### Essential Connectivity Options: HDMI, ARC/eARC, and Legacy Ports

A TV’s connectivity options are crucial for a versatile home entertainment setup. HDMI is the most vital input, supporting all major digital video sources like Blu-ray players, game consoles, set-top boxes, and PCs. Most TVs offer three or four HDMI ports, but always confirm this, as some might only have two. For 4K screens, ensure the HDMI ports are at least HDMI 2.0, which supports 4K video at 60 frames per second. HDMI 2.1 is the newer standard, supporting higher resolutions and faster refresh rates, though it’s not yet essential for most content.

Regarding HDMI cables, don’t fall for expensive claims; for typical home use (cables under 25 feet), price and brand don’t matter. Just ensure they’re labeled HDMI 2.1, ‘Premium High Speed,’ or ‘Ultra High Speed.’ For audio, most TVs have an HDMI port labeled ARC (Audio Return Channel), which sends sound downstream to a connected soundbar or speaker system, supporting compressed 5.1-channel surround sound. Even better is eARC (enhanced ARC), available on recent TVs, offering higher-quality, uncompressed multi-channel sound, including spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which is essential for these advanced sound systems. For older devices like VCRs or vintage game systems, some new TVs still include composite or component video inputs, often via 3.5mm dongles.

#### Optimizing Picture Settings and Calibration

Finally, ensuring your TV looks its best is often simpler than you might think. Most modern TVs are accurate enough out of the box that a professional calibration isn’t strictly necessary. Our recommendation is to follow a few simple tweaks to optimize your picture settings, and you’ll likely be more than satisfied. These adjustments, such as turning off motion smoothing (unless watching sports to avoid the ‘soap opera effect’), can make a significant difference.

However, if you’ve invested heavily in a high-end TV, particularly one that’s part of a custom-built home theater system, a professional calibration (which can cost hundreds of dollars) might be a worthwhile added expense to extract the absolute best picture quality. For DIY enthusiasts, calibration Blu-rays offer a guided approach to making tweaks yourself. Apple TV’s Color Balance feature also provides a quick adjustment, though it’s not a substitute for a professional calibration and only affects the Apple TV device’s output, not the TV’s overall picture. Regardless of your approach, a little attention to settings can dramatically elevate your viewing experience.

Choosing a new television in 2025 is an exciting prospect, filled with incredible innovation and performance across all price points. By understanding the key features, navigating the jargon, and identifying your specific needs, you’re now perfectly equipped to find the screen that will bring your home entertainment to life in stunning detail and sound. Happy viewing!