Best 4K TVs 2019: 6 top UHD TVs you can buy right now

On the hunt for a new TV to kick off 2019? Then you’re in luck as there are a wealth of great TVs on the market, and thanks to the January sales not all of them come with eye watering price tags. Scroll down to see our pick of the best 4K TVs we’ve reviewed.

But also make sure to keep an eye out for what’s on the horizon. With CES 2019 now in full swing we’ve already seen a number of great TVs get unveiled, including the amazing looking Samsung 75-inch MicroLED TV. We’re expecting more TVs to appear at the show in the very near future, so if you can afford to it may be worth waiting to see what new TVs are set to arrive this year before parting with your hard earned cash.

If that’s not an option scroll down to see our picks of the best 4K TVs currently available.

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This page has been separated into sections to make it easier to navigate, with OLED TVs at the top, followed by QLED and regular 4K TVs. Scroll (or click) down to the bottom for information on what a 4K TV is and how we go out about testing TVs.

Jump to page sections

OLED TVs | QLED TVs | 4K TVs | What is a 4K TV?| How we test 4K TVs

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OLED TVs

1. LG OLED55C8PLA

Gorgeous picture quality and great value for money

Pros:

• Sharp and colourful picture
• Excellent upscaling
• WebOS still rocks
• Low input lag

Cons:

• Motion could be better
• Better suited to darker rooms

The LG OLED55C8PLA is simply a stunning TV. It’s hard not to marvel at the picture quality. If you buy this TV right now, you won’t be disappointed.

The C8 is brighter, more detailed and more impactful than last year’s LG B7, although it isn’t a massive jump up. However, this isn’t a negative when you consider how excellent that model already was.

The LG C8 enjoys pixel-level luminance, which means remarkable lighting precision. The panel tech has remained mostly the same, with the emphasis on the new processor. This tactic essentially gets the most out of the panel. It’s a brighter HDR performance than before, and there’s less noise in the blacks too. It’s not as bright as Samsung’s rival Q9FN QLED, but this is one of the brighter OLEDs available.

2. Panasonic TX-55FZ952B

Panasonic’s flagship 4K OLED TV is an excellent set

Pros:

• Gorgeous, accurate pictures
• Powerful sound
• Good smart interface
• Good app support
• Light-up remote

Cons:

• Some of the menus could use a facelift

After the Plasma TV market fell away, Panasonic poured its plasma experience into OLED. The results are so good that even professional colourists in Hollywood use them to grade movies. The Panasonic TX-55FZ952B  OLED is one of those TVs.

You’ll struggle to find a 2018 OLED with a more natural picture, or one closer to the picture the filmmakers see before release. New for this year is a dynamic Look-Up Table – a map that tells the TV where to put colours – which optimise the picture every 100 milliseconds. The result is more precise colour handling, especially in midtones and highlights, areas OLED TVs have traditionally struggled in.

Add into the mix a great audio performance and this TV offers plenty of value.

3. Philips 55OLED+903

One of the brightest OLED sets available and a great sounding TV

Pros:

• Stunningly bright, colourful pictures for an OLED TV
• Exceptionally sharp 4K and upscaled HD pictures
• Superb sound quality

Cons:

• Occasional picture noise in richly coloured areas
• The soundbar essentially costs £500
• Occasional skin tone issues

The 55OLED+903 is Philip’s flagship 55in TV and features brand’s most powerful video processing engine and a built-in soundbar designed in collaboration with Bowers & Wilkins.

There’s HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG but no Dolby Vision. And of course we shouldn’t forget Philips’ own Ambilight technology. Ambilight’s immersive qualities sets it apart from other TVs and its use here is particularly memorable.

The 55OLED+903 delivers a stunning image that’s more intense and brighter than even the LG above can muster. Colours are vibrant, but retain a sense of balance and naturalism, with a sound that’s far more powerful and dynamic than you’d expect for such a thin screen.

4. Sony KD-55AF9

A nigh on flawless 4K OLED performer

Pros:

• Superlative image quality
• Above average audio performance
• Premium design and finish

Cons:

• Prepare to pay a high price

Sony’s first step into 4K OLED with the A1 was absolutely stunning. The 55AF9 continues in the same vein. The design is still gorgeous, and that innovative sound system which shakes the screen is still present. It’s still absolutely weird, but it works.

Then there’s the picture. It is absolutely sensational, building on top of OLED’s inherent strengths in deep blacks and punchy contrast. Sony has added superior processing that improves motion handling and colour reproduction. Sony claims that A1 also uses the latest OLED tech, and can get to a peak brightness of around 900 nits. Excellent if you want bright and punchy HDR images.

QLED TVs

5. Samsung QE65Q9FN

One of the more impressive TVs in recent memory

Pros:

• Gorgeous brightness and colours
• Impressively deep blacks
• Full-array local dimming
• Lovely finish

Cons:

• Not OLED levels of shadow detail

The Samsung QE65Q9FN is the most impressive LCD TV we’ve seen in some time. It’s a hugely versatile performer, with a properly impactful high dynamic range, plus the freedom to view it with as few or as many lights on as you want.

It marks something of a comeback after a flawed 2017 for Samsung. The biggest change is the use of a direct backlight with a full-array local dimming system, which means better lighting control than last year.

As well as that, it offers black levels almost as good as rival OLED TVs, combined with unprecedented levels of brightness and colour volume.

Related: Best TVs

4K LCD

6. Sony KD-55XF9005

For sports and movies, this TV hits the mark

Pros:

• Full array direct LED backlight
• Dynamic HDR performance
• Netflix, Amazon and YouTube in 4K

Cons:

• Disjointed Android/YouView user experience
• High input lag

The Sony 55XF9005 is excellent mid-range option. You get the the vivacity of HDR and the expertise of Sony’s image processing, but find yourself not the unevenness of edge-lit LCD screens. There’s a smoothness to the XF90’s FALD imagery that’s really captivating.

It’s not on got the same level of lighting precision as Sony’s legendary ZD9 series, but it does a good job delivering contrast and brightness.

The only real caveat is input lag – if you’re a serious gamer looking for a fast HDR-capable UHD display, I’d probably advise you pass.

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What is a 4K TV?

4K TVs have four times as many pixels as Full HD TVs. When you have that much more information in the same screen sizes, your picture ends up much sharper and clearer, and you can really appreciate all the extra definition and detail.

Many say 4K TVs can almost appear as if they’re in 3D, thanks to the amount of depth an image can offer. Some refer to 4K TVs as UHD (Ultra HD), but for TV-buying purposes, they are just different ways of naming the same thing.

The best LCD 4K TV that we tested was the Samsung QE65Q9FN, which combined the brightness and colour of QLED with the deep blacks of OLED. It was one of the most impressive TVs we’ve reviewed in years. But then came the LG OLED55C8, which shows OLED TVs can do brightness too – and offers better lighting precision.

If you’re on a tighter budget there’s LG’s OLED55B8PLA, which is the cheapest OLED 4K set we’ve tested and it delivers a stunning performance.

Alternatively, take a look at our Best TVs page, which includes older (but still excellent) models. Many of these have been significantly discounted and represent a bit of a bargain.

Related: Best TV deals

How we test 4K TVs

Our crack team of 4K TV reviewers use both their naked eye and specialist tools to check every set they test for contrast, black level, maximum brightness and input lag, plus any hint of backlight bleed, blooming or anything else that might spoil your viewing enjoyment. A variety of test footage is used to cover every type of scene, so we can assess a 4K TV’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as how it performs against the competition. Sound quality isn’t forgotten, either – we give the built-in speakers a thorough listen to determine whether you’ll need to invest in a soundbar or speaker system to beef things up.

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