Best 4K TVs Buying Guide: Welcome to TechRadar's round-up of the best 4K TVs you can buy for any budget in 2018.
There has never been a better time to buy a 4K Ultra-HD TV. The technology is better now than it's ever been, and 4K content has become the new norm for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, as well as Blu-ray discs.
Yes, far from being the nichetechnology that it was a few years ago, 4K (also known as Ultra HD) is the 4x improvement your TV has been waiting for.
But making a good 4K TVs isn't just about how many pixels you can push to a screen; it's about the quality of those pixels. To that end, there's even newer technology that we're excited about, like High Dynamic Range and Wide Colour Gamut, that promise to take all those new pixels and make them truly shine.
If the world of TV buying feels unapproachable when you're first getting into it, don't worry. Give it some time and it will all make sense. Plus, you've got us here to help you pick out the best 4K TV on the market.
Over the years, hundreds of TVs have passed through our reviewers' doorsteps. Using that wealth of experience, we've created a list of the best 4K TVs. We constantly update the list with the latest and greatest panels, so if you see things shuffled around a bit since the last time you were here, don't freak out.
Check out our video above for an introduction to the world of 4K.
What you need to know about 4K TVs
Not only do these screens have four times the amount of pixels as their aged (but still-revered) 1080p brethren, but 4K screens also usually pack in screen technology like High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) that really make those extra pixels shine in all their glory.
The last reason 4K TVs have taken off is that game consoles, like the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, have totally embraced the 4K future, as have the Blu-ray industry and streaming video player market. Pretty much everyone is on board the 4K Ultra HD train these days.
If all of this sounds weird or archaic or tough to understand, don't worry. We're here to help decipher the wild, wonderful world of Ultra HD. Give us a few minutes of your time and we'll help you get the best 4K TV on the market.
Why can you trust us? Well, over the years, hundreds of TVs have passed through our reviewers' doorsteps. Using that wealth of experience - plus some neat side-by-side comparisons - we've created a list of the best 4K TVs.
We constantly update the list with the latest and greatest panels, so if you see things shuffled around a bit since the last time you were here, don't freak out. Embrace that times change and that these are the best TVs we've ever found.
Additional resources:
- Want something to watch? Check out our best movies on Netflix and best movies on Amazon Prime guides.
- Need to give your TV's sound a boost? Check out our guide to the best soundbars available.
- Ultra HD Blu-rays are a fantastic way of watching 4K content without worrying about buffering. Check out our guide to the best Ultra HD Blu-ray players for some suggestions.
The best 4K TV of 2018: Samsung Q9FN (65Q9FN)
The best 4K TV ever made? We think so.
Spectacular HDR picture quality
Powerful, well-rounded sound
Good smart system
Limited viewing angles
After an underwhelming debut, Samsung’s QLED technology really needed to bounce back in style in 2018. It didn't surprise us in the least, then, to discover Samsung threw the kitchen sink in with its new Q9FN QLED Series of TVs.
As well as being even brighter and more colorful than last year’s equivalent model, Samsung's 2018 flagship screens use a completely different lighting system to combat its predecessor’s contrast problems: Full Array Local Dimming rather than edge-lit LED lighting. The FALD panel works in tandem with Samsung QLED Quantum Dots to produce a picture that's brighter and more colorful than near any we've seen come from the South Korean manufacturer.
Do those features alone make Samsung Q9FN the best TV on the market? No, but throw in technology like HDR10+ and Q HDR EliteMax – what Samsung bills as its maximum High Dynamic Range experience that’s exclusive to the Q9FN – and there's very little doubt in our mind that this is Samsung's best TV ever.
Read the full review: Samsung Q9FN QLED TV (65Q9FN)
The best mid-range 4K TV: Sony XF90 (KDL-55XF9005)
This is the 4K HDR flatscreen we’ve all been waiting for
65-inch: Samsung QE65Q9FAM
Excellent motion handling
Great contrast
HDR isn't the brightest
Remote doesn't feel as premium
Short and sweet, the KDL-55XF9005 is a brilliant mid-priced TV. Every one of the improvements Sony has introduced over and above last year’s already excellent XE90 series – better processing, more brightness, slightly more backlight dimming zones, improved motion performance – delivers the goods, resulting in picture quality that humbles many more expensive TVs.
Its Android TV system and some generally minor backlight clouding stop it short of perfection, but it’s hard to imagine any similarly priced upcoming 65-inch rival getting the better of it.
