Full HD has long been a thing of the past! 4K and UHD are the new keywords that have dominated the television market for several years. The advantage over Full HD is easily explained: UHD means four times the resolution of Full HD TVs. In pixels this means 3840 x 2160 pixels compared to 1920 x 1080 pixels. TVs with this resolution are now available in all price categories. On the market, 4K and UHD are used almost equally, although 4K actually refers to the cinema resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels.
We give you an overview of the best 4K/UHD TVs on the market. Every requirement or every budget is covered here. If our three suggestions are not enough for you, try our TV Findr. Here you can enter your exact requirements: screen size, seat spacing, intended use – and we will give you the best recommendations!
These are the Best 4K TVs in 2020
- Black level & contrast
- Samsung Tizen 5 Smart Features
- Low price
- No local dimming
- HDR performance
- Viewing angle
- Full Array Local Dimming
- 120 Hz
- Good viewing angle (75 & 85 inches)
- Motion Handling
- Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
- Viewing angle at 55 und 65 inches
- Perfect blacks
- 120 Hz
- Contrast of ∞:1
- HDMI 2.1
- HDMI VRR
- Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos
- Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL)
The Best entry level 4K TV
Samsung RU7179
Samsung, one of the largest technology companies in the world, is the major player in the current television business. The 2019 UHD lineup includes the Samsung RU7100, the entry-level 4K TV. You cannot count on many extra features that more expensive models have at their disposal. The picture quality is really good for its price. Thanks to the VA panel, the black level of the LCD TV is low and looks good in dark rooms. OLED TVs can do this even better, of course. A big disadvantage of VA panels, on the other hand, is the limited viewing angle, which OLED TVs do not have. But according to the price of the RU7100, its performance is great.
The RU7100 shows weak points in the HDR range. It has no local dimming and does not have the necessary peak brightness to display high-contrast videos. It supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, but unfortunately that does not change much. Ordinary 4K content looks great, though.
The Best mid range 4K TV
Sony XG9505
The Sony X950G is a true picture monster with an impressive feature set. If you are interested in a 4K TV that does it all, the X950G might be for you. It is great for home cinema use, as it offers cinema like picture quality with very deep blacks and good contrast. Motion Handling is very good as well and perfect for action packed flicks.
Unfortunately, the viewing angle is limited with the 55 and 65 inch models. The larger versions (75 and 85 inches) have an additional X Wide Viewing Angle layer that widens the viewing angle substantially at the loss of black level and contrast ratio.
The X950G is suitable for gaming and offers a good input lag at 4K at 60 Hz (22 ms) and 1080p at 120 Hz (11 ms) alike. However, if you are looking for a gaming TV with even better features, there are better options on the market, such as the Samsung Q70R. The X950G is geared towards occasional gamers that more times want to enjoy streaming and a high picture quality.
It is pretty similar to its predecessor, the X900F, but offers completely overhauled smart features and gaming potential. The picture quality has also been improved.
The Best high end 4K TV
LG C9
This TV is a real 4K TV Highlight. With their new C9 OLED TV, the South Koreans of LG have set the bar very high for UHD TVs. With a LG C9 you benefit from all the advantages of an OLED TV: Perfect blacks (even better than old plasma TVs), excellent contrast and an extremely wide viewing angle. The workmanship is extremely high quality and the TV is visually very chic. But the C9 can do a lot more than other OLED TVs.
The C9 is one of the few televisions currently equipped with HDMI 2.1. This transmission standard enables data transfer at speeds of up to 48 Gbit/s; a peak performance that will certainly be taken advantage of by the upcoming Playstation 5 and Xbox Scarlett consoles. Other gaming features include VRR (HDMI Forum) for gaming without tearing and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for latency reduction. HDMI 2.1 also allows uncompressed Dolby Atmos via HDMI eARC.
As with every OLED TV, the risk of burn-in cannot be phased out completely, yet, for normal users this risk is almost non-existent. To be completely sure, the LG C9 uses a feature called Automatic Brightness Limiter, which reduces brightness of very bright content.
In addition, the TV convinces with its Smart Features: Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa can be used to control the Smart OS via voice. Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are also on board. If the C9 is too expensive for you, take a look at the cheaper LG B8, which offers comparable features!
The Best 4K TVs compared
| | | |
Samsung RU7179 | Sony XG9505 | LG C9 | |
| Gaming Good features for gaming include low input lag, low motion blur and sufficient frame rate. | |||
| Viewing angle The viewing angle is the angle at which the screen can be viewed without the colors being washed out and the brightness diminishing. | |||
| Bright environment A classic bright environment would be a well lit living room with many windows. Good televisions should be able to deliver good pictures in a bright room. | |||
| Dark environment In dark rooms, televisions should also be able to display content correctly. This requires good black levels so that black content does not appear dark grey in complete darkness. | |||
| Home cinema To bring the cinema experience home to you, a good television set should be able to reproduce images and sound equivalent to modern cinemas. | |||
| HDR Anyone who likes to watch high-resolution content such as Blu-rays or 4K streaming needs a TV with wide gamut and good top brightness. This is the only way to display films and series with a high contrast range. | |||
| Smart TV Every Smart TV has a number of Smart Features that are designed to make operation easier. In addition to apps such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, these include voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant as well as Apple AirPlay 2. | |||
| Features The number of connections to ensure flexibility for the technical periphery pay for the equipment. | |||
| Specialties No two TVs are the same. What makes this model so special? | Affordable | 120 Hz, FALD | HDMI 2.1 |
| | | |
Samsung RU7179 | Sony XG9505 | LG C9 | |
| Available sizes The compared 4K TV are available in following screen sizes | 43 Inch See price 50 Inch See price 55 Inch See price 58 Inch See price 65 Inch See price 75 Inch See price All prices | 55 Inch See price 65 Inch See price 75 Inch See price 85 Inch See price All prices | 55 Inch See price 65 Inch See price 77 Inch See price All prices |
What makes the best 4K TV?
Good 4K TVs are available in every price segment. If you’re a beginner in terms of UHD quality, the Samsung RU7100 is a great starting point. Here, you can enjoy 4K resolution and not be distracted by extra features. Mind you though that is not meant for demanding users.
If you want uncompromising picture quality for home cinema, gaming and streaming, the LG C9 is a much better choice. Currently, there is no better display technology than OLED on the market. Black level, contrast ratio and viewing angle qualities are yet to be surpassed. Gaming enthusiasts will also appreciate the HDMI 2.1 capabilities that unlock the true power of next gen consoles Playstation 5 and Xbox Scarlett.
