Time for a TV upgrade?
It is no secret that Microsoft is the manufacturer of the Xbox – one of the most powerful consoles on the market. The first Xbox came off the assembly line in 2002, at about the same time as the famous Playstation 2, and since then Sony and Microsoft have been engaged in a bitter battle for the crown, which also polarizes gamers.
Because both Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 are extremely powerful, a TV upgrade is probably essential for most gamers if they want to bring this performance to the screen. With the Xbox One X, the performance of many TVs was still sufficiently high – but the bar will be raised even higher in 2020 by the new generation. Due to the 4K resolution with 120 Hz HDMI 2.1 and a display with a native refresh rate of 120 Hz is the minimum hurdle a TV has to overcome to be really suitable. Here we have once our top 3 of the best TVs for the Xbox Series X for beginners and enthusiasts!
As an absolute High End Gaming TV we have LG’s CX OLED on the winners podium. It has everything you need for the new Xbox. A 120Hz panel, HDMI 2.1, an outstanding HDR performance and Dolby Vision – paired with a brilliant OLED picture quality. His alternative in this ranking is the flagship of the 2020 4K QLED series from Samsung: the Q90T. If you want to play in very bright rooms and also want to have impressive picture quality, you should go for the TV with VA panel. He also has a very wide viewing angle, HDMI 2.1, a 120Hz panel, VRR and ALLM. Only Dolby Vision still does not support Samsung.
For those who find both models too expensive, the NANO85 is the right choice. The NanoCell TV with IPS panel is in the 49″ variant probably the cheapest TV that will be able push the Xbox to its limit with [email protected]. Its gaming features are also just as good as the other two, but it doesn’t have the impressive picture quality that distinguishes the opponents.
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The best TV for Xbox Series X 2021: LG CX OLED
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When talking about the LG CX OLED, we speak about a TV that is one of the best you can get on the current market. So it is not really surprising that it is almost perfectly positioned in the gaming category. HDR gaming is impressive on it, especially in dark rooms. Due to the perfect blacks and the theoretically infinite contrast ratio, conventional LED TVs simply can not compete with the OLED construction in this discipline. In very bright rooms, however, the picture quality is not quite as convincing. Especially the Automatic Brightness Limiter is disturbing here, which dims the brightness in large bright scenes to protect the organic diodes. With the CX, there is no impairment of the colors even at very oblique viewing angles, although the difference to the Q90T will not really be noticeable – only at really extreme viewing angles, which would be very unusual in normal use.
Its HDR performance is really outstanding and can be dynamically enhanced with Dolby Vision IQ and adjusted to the ambient brightness – HDR gaming at its best is guaranteed!
In addition to the excellent picture quality, the motion handling of the OLED is also outstanding. Due to its design, it has an almost instant response time, which means that no motion blur is visible on the 120 Hz display. The input lag also knows how to inspire. At a 4K resolution with 120 Hz refresh rate it is only ~12 ms, which makes the TV feel very responsive.
The integrated speakers are quite reasonable and can get comparatively loud – the bass is a bit weak, but this can be compensated by soundbars or hifi systems. For this, uncompressed Dolby Atmos sound is supported to provide really cinema-quality sound from all directions.
The omnipresent fear that OLEDs are very much affected by burn-in is really unfounded with the CX. Especially when you consider that the same picture is rarely displayed for hours during gaming. So there is no need to worry about burn-in.
LG CX OLED Pro / Contra
- Perfect Blacks
- Contrast Ratio: ∞:1
- Motion Handling
- Viewing Angle
- HDMI 2.1 ([email protected])
- HDMI VRR & G-Sync Compatible VRR
- Dolby Vision
- Dolby Atmos
- Alpha 9 Gen 3 Processor
- Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL)
Alternatives to the LG CX OLED as TV for Xbox Series X
The LG NANO85 is the most affordable TV in the NanoCell series, which has been equipped with an HDMI 2.1 interface. It is a bit expensive for an entry-level model, but the new Xbox has a lot to offer, which by far not every TV can offer. In order to receive content with 4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate at all, a transmission bandwidth of at least 40 Gbps is necessary. Therefore HDMI 2.1 is a must-have – just like a display has a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The NANO85’s IPS panel has a very wide viewing angle, so you can easily play with friends without anyone being put at a disadvantage by washed-out colors. The other two televisions in this ranking perform even better, but you rarely sit in front of a TV at such an angle that this would make a difference. The picture quality in bright rooms is really good for the price level. However, the TV is not bright enough to display HDR content well. As usual for IPS panels, the NANO85 also has problems to produce a decent picture in dark environments. The black levels and contrast ratio is simply not good enough for this. The black levels are mediocre so that it looks more like grey in dark rooms – probably not the best choice for horror fans. Those who prefer deep blacks and also a better picture quality in dark surroundings with a solid HDR performance should rather look at the Sony X900H; but beware, it has a very narrow viewing angle.
Otherwise, the NANO has all the features a gamer might need. A variable refresh rate through HDMI forum is available and also the Auto Low Latency Mode to keep the input lag during gaming as low as possible. The input lag is okay with 17 ms and the motion handling is really good with a response time of a little more than 4 ms. As you can see the NANO85 is definitely worth a look!
The Q90T’s VA panel is from a different world compared to the little NANO85. The picture quality is much better and HDR content is displayed in a truly impressive way. In dark environments this can only be beaten by OLEDs like the CX. But in bright environments, the Q90T’s picture quality is almost unsurpassed due to its high peak brightness and excellent reflection handling. So if you are more of a daytime gamer and don’t want to make any concessions, you almost cannot get past Samsung’s QLED. The narrow viewing angle, which is typical of VA panels, is massively extended by an additional display layer. Therefore, even very oblique angles hardly cause any color washout.
In addition to great HDR gaming and a wide viewing angle, it impresses with a response time of less than 4 ms that causes a convincing motion handling. The TV feels unbelievably fast while gaming – which is probably due to the extremely low input lag of ~10 ms. Thus, you can be one step ahead of your opponent in fast games like shooters or racing games.
A variable refresh rate is available via HDMI Forum VRR and FreeSync, making screen tearing a thing of the past. Of course, an Auto Low Latency Mode is also available – Samsung could not have afforded to neglect this in their flagship.
Unfortunately, the Q90T only has HRD10+ as dynamic HDR format. Dolby Vision is not included – which could have improved the HDR performance. DTS is not available, but due to the HDMI eARC uncompressed Dolby Atmos. This creates a cinema-like sound backdrop when using soundbars or Hifi Systems.
The best TV for Xbox Series X compared
CX OLED
NANO85
Q90T QLED
