Looking to buy a 4K TV? Then you’re just looking to buy a TV. Outside of the smallest models where you can still find the odd 1080p or 720p resolution, or at the very top end where 8K is a considration, 4K TVs are the only real option available. They come in a bunch of different types and sizes and have a number of interesting technologies and capabilities that separate them, but they’re all 4K.
All of the best TVs of today are 4K, whether they’re an QLEDs or OLEDs and entry-level or high-end, and whether you’re looking to play your favorite console games at 4K 120Hz, or watch HDR movies with the lights off.
But there are a number of reasons to pick one TV over another, and we’re here to help break that down. So here’s everything you need to know about buying a 4K TV, so you can get the most for your money.
Size and setup
When you’re looking into a new TV, the first thing to check is how much space you’ve got in your entertainment room. Keep in mind that TV screens are measured diagonally, so when you see a TV listed as 65 inches, that’s the diagonal measurement, not the height or width. Those dimensions can be found on a TV’s product page and are often listed in reviews. Most living rooms will do well with a 50-inch or larger TV, though you can go as big as your entertainment center — and wallet — will allow.
There are some great resources online for calculating the best size-to-viewing-distance ratios so you can zero in on the best combination for you and your space. But you might be surprised how close the experts recommend you sit to your TV, and how big you should buy for a cinematic experience. Sitting 10ft from the screen? The calculators suggest you want at least a 77-inch TV.
If you’re going to be using a TV stand, make sure to factor the stand’s dimensions into your calculations to ensure a good fit. It’s also important to understand that more and more TVs are mounted on legs at their exterior rather than bases at the center, which begs for even more space.
Those who are wall-mounting will be happy to know that weight isn’t an issue here — as long as your wall has the right supports. There are mounts for every size and weight out there, and we have a wall-mount buying guide to help you choose the right one. If you need help going through the actual process of mounting your TV, we can help you with that, too.
Resolution
The “4K” in 4K TVs refers to their resolution. Even though 4K TVs don’t quite have 4,000 lines of horizontal resolution (it’s actually 3,840), the term is catchy and easier to remember than its other names, like “2160p,” “4K Ultra HD,” or simply “UHD.” Whatever you call it, it refers to a standard for the number of pixels used to create the on-screen image you see.
At four times the pixel resolution of the previous standard — 1080p HD — the difference is notable, especially when these TVs display native 4K content. Images are crisper, fine details are clear and visible, and you can sit closer to larger TVs without notable image degradation.
Some manufacturers are still cranking out 1080p or 720p displays, but they are usually the lowest-quality TVs with the smallest screen sizes within a given manufacturer’s lineup. A few years ago, it made sense to consider one of these models if you were looking to save money, but today, you can buy a 50-inch 4K TV for $300 or less, which means that only those with the smallest of budgets or physical spaces need to consider TVs with less resolution. Indeed, you’re more likely to consider 8K resolution as an option, even if there isn’t much in the way of native content yet.
While it’s true that broadcast content has been woefully slow to catch up to 4K, we expect this will start to change rapidly now that the latest broadcast standard — ATSC 3.0 — has been implemented, with compatibility now stretching across multiple TV brands and set-top devices. And while that upgrade continues to roll out, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Vudu continue to add numerous 4K movies and TV shows to each platform’s respective libraries.
LCD vs. LED vs. OLED vs. QLED vs. mini-LED
There are really only two types of TV displays. LCD, LED, QLED, and mini-LED are all examples of transmissive displays that depend on a backlight for their light source. That light source then passes through a matrix of pixels and color filters. OLED and microLED, by contrast are emissive displays that possess pixels that generate their own light.
OLED
The biggest benefit to an emissive display like OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is that when a pixel isn’t producing any light, it goes perfectly black. So not only do OLED displays offer the deepest, truest blacks — gorgeous when watching space scenes — but they don’t suffer from any light bleed. Light bleed happens when light from a bright area of the screen spills over into an area that is supposed to be dark or black.
Many companies sell OLED TVs but they all buy their OLED panels from one company: LG Display. The only exception to this rule is Samsung. Currently, Samsung Display, a sister company to Samsung proper, is producing its own quantum-dot powered OLED screens, otherwise known as QD-OLED.
But the actual OLED panel is only one element of an OLED TV, as each brand uses its own picture-processing tech, so there are still observable differences despite their common panels.
LCD/LED TV
The humble LCD (liquid crystal display) is the name of the matrix of pixels used to create all transmissive displays. Whether it’s an LCD TV, an LED TV, a mini-LED TV, or a QLED TV, they all use LCD panels to create the images you see. The difference between them comes down to the kind of backlight they use and whether or not a layer of quantum dots has been added (more on this in a moment).
The first LCD TVs used CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent light) as their backlights, but with the advent of LEDs as a viable alternative, the industry switched to LEDs. The “LED TV” was born. At this point, almost all LCD TVs are LED TVs. LED backlights are more energy-efficient than CCFLs, and, depending on how many individual LEDs are used, they can vastly increase the control over brightness and contrast.
Mini-LED
If LEDs were a big step up from CCFLs, making those LEDs smaller — much smaller — is an even bigger improvement. Mini-LEDs are so small that a 75-inch TV can fit 25,000 of them. That brings the control over brightness and contrast closer than ever to what OLED’s emissive pixels can do.
Most high-end LED TVs today use mini-LEDs and they can get incredibly bright, because of it. The Sony Bravia 9 is often clocked in excess of 3,000 nits, while the Hisense U8N is closing on 4,000 nits. That makes them fantastic for viewing in bright rooms, or even outdoors, and HDR highlights really pop on these TVs. Their contrast isn’t as good as OLED, but the best options get very close.
QLED TV
A QLED TV is any LED or mini-LED TV that has an added layer of quantum dots embedded just behind the LCD matrix but in front of the backlight. Quantum dots are nanoparticles that have the unusual property of becoming emissive when light hits them.
When you add them to an LED display, they create increased brightness and can help create more natural colors by compensating for the naturally blue light that most LEDs emit. The brighter the backlight gets, the more pronounced the effect. This makes QLED TVs perfect for brightly-lit environments, and indeed, some of the best QLED TVs are some of the best and brightest LED TVs, period.
QD-OLED
When you combine OLED and quantum dots, you get QD-OLED. QD-OLED uses OLED tech for its light source, but replaces OLED TV’s color filter with quantum dots instead — it’s the best of both worlds as it creates an amazingly bright, beautiful, colorful display with deep blacks. It’s lead to some of the best TVs in the world, like the Samsung S95D and Sony A95L — although standard OLEDs like the LG G4 are strong competitors.
HDR
HDR makes images more vibrant and lifelike through higher brightness and contrast and a wider color gamut — that’s the total number of colors a TV can display. At its best, HDR is truly stunning; you won’t want to return to SDR (standard dynamic range) once you see it in action.
Though almost all 4K TVs sold today are also HDR TVs, not all HDR TVs are created equal. There can be vast differences in quality, and some HDR TVs simply can’t get bright enough to really show bright highlights, or add vibrancy to colors.
HDR formats can differ in support and output, too. There’s HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ and though most TVs support some of them, few support all. Samsung TVs, for example, don’t support Dolby Vision, while LG TVs don’t support HDR10+. That can leave you unable to enjoy the same kind of HDR in certain TV shows and movies that favor one technology over the others.
Product reviews will help you see how the HDR features on any given TV stack up against others in its price tier, including brightness levels, contrast, and overall picture quality, and you should check them before making your purchase.
Smart TV features
All modern TVs are smart TVs with all the streaming apps you could want, phone mirroring and connections, online web access for wireless firmware updates, and some have support for gaming streaming too. You can get them online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, and though some platforms have slightly better operating systems than others, there aren’t many major differences between them.
If you had to push us, we don’t enjoy Amazon’s Fire operating system as much as Google TVs or Rokus, but there is an element of personal preference there.
Some TVs include Alex or Google Assistant support, but not all, so consider that if you want smart home compatibility with your new TV.
If you aren’t happy with the default smart features of your TV, you can always replace them, too. You can upgrade any TV with a streaming device like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max or Roku Streaming Stick 4K, or use set-top boxes like the Nvidia Shield, to get all of these smart TV features in a convenient package. That’s important because many smart TV interfaces still leave a lot to be desired.
Refresh rate
A TV’s refresh rate refers to how many individual frames per second it can display, denoted in hertz (Hz). Higher refresh rates lead to smoother image quality in gaming and improved motion resolution during high-paced action in sports or movies.
Regular filmed entertainment like movies and TV shows can actually be distorted by imposing higher refresh rates, leading to something known as the “soap opera” effect. But don’t worry: It’s easy enough to adjust these settings so that everything looks as it should.
If you want to game on your TV, try to get one that has a 120Hz refresh rate. Some offer 144Hz now, for PC gaming when connected to a gaming PC, but otherwise there aren’t any other options out there. You’ll find plenty of gaming monitors that go higher, but for TVs, 120Hz is still king.
Variable refresh rate
Just as important for gaming, is variable refresh rate. It was first added to models like LG’s 2019 and 2020 OLED TVs to make them more compatible with console and PC-based video games that actually change frame rates from one part of the game to another. Ordinarily, TVs are locked into a single refresh rate (60 or 120Hz), which means they can’t deal with changes to frame rates without causing tearing — a visible glitch when frame rates and refresh rates don’t mesh cleanly.
The bottom line here is that if you plan on using your TV for gaming, it’s a very good idea to make sure it supports VRR. And if you are using your TV with a PC that includes a dedicated Nvidia or AMD GPU (graphics processing unit), then you should look for TVs with syncing capability. G-Sync (for Nvidia) and FreeSync (for AMD) help displays coordinate with GPUs for an optimized frame rate that prevents tearing and other issues — plus, more advanced versions of G-Sync and FreeSync can help optimize visuals similar to how HDR works.
You’ll find G-Sync and FreeSync support on PS5 and Xbox Series X game consoles, as well as dedicated PC GPUs.
Inputs and HDMI 2.1
TVs can carry a range of different inputs and outputs, and you’ll often find TVs with a colorful array of different ports on their back or side panels. The only input that you really need to concern yourself with, though (unless you have a ton of legacy gear), is HDMI. HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is the standard way of connecting sources like streaming devices, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and even PCs to a TV.
To future-proof your TV, look for at least three HDMI ports (though getting four is safer and easily attainable). If you’re going to use a soundbar or an A/V receiver with your TV, make sure it supports HDMI ARC or preferably eARC, which is a simple way to pass audio back and forth from the TV and your speaker system while also offering other useful features.
HDMI generation matters if you’re looking to do some high-end gaming or watch UHD Blu-rays, too. HDMI 2.1 is the one you need to look out for. Don’t worry too much about the newer 2.1a or 2.1b standards, as they don’t offer anything you need right now — even if they are likely to become mainstream standards in the future.
Do you need a soundbar?
Most TVs don’t have the best built-in sound, so it’s almost always a good idea to budget for some kind of soundbar or speaker system. You can check out our guide to the best current models to learn more.
Soundbars can quickly become expensive, though, so consider headphones as an alternative — many streaming sticks allow private listening via earbuds, too.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have demystified some of the newer terms and trends in today’s TVs. Now that you’re equipped with all the knowledge you need, why not take a look at our list of the best TVs you can buy? Also, be sure to check out our latest TV reviews so you can arm yourself with knowledge about the latest and greatest 4K TVs on the market.
