Television rankings move fast, and the current standings — drawn from a 57-product tested field, updated August 2026 — have a clear shape: an OLED wears the crown, an aggressive LCD undercuts everything above it, and the best LCD ever measured makes the strongest case yet against paying OLED money. This guide covers the eight picks that matter, with our own full reviews behind the biggest names.
The Short Version
- Top pick: LG OLED G6 (55-inch) — the current overall test winner; £2,099.00 at our last verification (wall-mount version).
- Budget pick: TCL 65C7K — 65 inches of very capable Mini LED for mid-range money.
- Premium OLED for less: LG OLED G5 (65-inch) — last year's flagship tier, now the value route into it.
- Best compact: LG OLED 42C5 — proper OLED quality at 42 inches.
- Cheapest great OLED: Samsung S90F (55-inch) — QD-OLED with four HDMI 2.1 ports.
- Best LCD: Sony Bravia 9 II — nearly 4,000 cd/m² measured; UK stock still arriving.
- The Ambilight statement: Philips 65OLED959 — flagship OLED with the light show.
- Good and cheap: Sony KD-55X85L — the sensible entry point with dual tuners.
Top pick: LG OLED G6
The overall winner earns it on picture: excellent quality with very high peak brightness — measured above 3,400 cd/m² in lab testing — strong radiance even in cinema mode, near-complete DCI-P3 coverage and roughly 80 per cent of BT.2020, on a superbly anti-reflective 4K panel running at a smooth 165 Hz with just 11 ms of gaming latency. All four HDMI inputs carry HDMI 2.1.
The deductions are specific: a single triple-tuner rather than two, Dolby Vision but no HDR10+, no DTS, and an unlit remote. Sound from the 4.1 system (four 10 W drivers plus subwoofer) is good without threatening dearer systems. Mind the model suffix when buying — stand and wall-mount variants exist, and our full LG G6 review covers the £2,099 wall-mount listing we verified.
Budget pick: TCL 65C7K
The value shock of the field: a "good" (2.1) for a 65-inch Mini LED at mid-range money. For LCD, black levels are respectable and contrasts especially intense; brightness measured 1,856 cd/m² sustained and up to 2,500 briefly. Gaming is well served by 144 Hz and 14 ms latency, though only two of four HDMI ports are 2.1 and there's a single USB port. The honest weaknesses: droning speakers at even modest volume, no USB recording, a power-hungry HDR mode around 232 W, and patchy menu translations in its otherwise friendly Google TV. UK naming note: TCL's British range uses different model labels (we found a 65C7L-UK listed locally); we haven't verified panel equivalence, so check specifications against the tested C7K before assuming they match.
Premium OLED for less: LG OLED G5 (65-inch)
Last year's flagship generation remains outstanding — and now costs sensible money. The Tandem-RGB OLED panel measured above 3,000 cd/m², stays notably cooler than some rivals in sustained use, and helps the G5 to moderate consumption (roughly 90 W SDR, just under 220 W HDR). Motion handling through the second-generation Alpha 11 processor is nearly flawless even upscaling broadcast HD. The sound could be punchier, and LG now omits the second triple-tuner even at this tier.
Best compact: LG OLED 42C5
Proper OLED in a 42-inch frame: average brightness for the type but very high contrast, practically complete HDR colour coverage, fine detail and near-flawless motion. The 2.1 sound system genuinely suffices for room listening and stays clean near maximum. One triple-tuner, otherwise complete connections, webOS with the full app catalogue, and a redesigned remote that can even drive a pointer.
Cheapest great OLED: Samsung S90F
The QD-OLED value play: crisp colours covering 96 per cent of DCI-P3, brightness above 2,100 cd/m², solid speakers — and a gamer-friendly loadout of 144 Hz, 10 ms latency and four full HDMI 2.1 ports, plus two triple-tuners with USB recording. Samsung's habitual quirks apply: no Dolby Vision (HDR10+ instead), and phone-screen sharing requires Samsung's own app with an account rather than standard Miracast. Efficient in both SDR and HDR (~134 W). Sold under Germany's GQ prefix in the source test; UK listings use Samsung's local codes for the same S90F line.
Best LCD: Sony Bravia 9 II
The strongest LCD ever to pass through this test field: nearly 4,000 cd/m² measured peak, over 2,100 in cinema mode, effectively complete DCI-P3 and over 90 per cent BT.2020 — a spectacular HDR picture that only concedes to the best OLEDs in detail disciplines like viewing-angle stability. Two triple-tuners, a backlit remote, Dolby Vision (no HDR10+), 10 ms gaming latency and a genuinely strong built-in 7.1 system with six 10 W drivers and subwoofer. Our full Bravia 9 II review covers the one catch: UK retail stock is still arriving, so no price is quoted here.
The Ambilight statement: Philips 65OLED959
Exorbitant peak brightness, sharp contrasts, strong colours and near-flawless motion — wrapped in the multi-layer Ambilight Plus light show and a frame-integrated 5.1.2 sound system rated a "very good" (1.1) that matches the picture. Standing on a single centre foot, it is a design statement as much as a television. The costs: above-average power draw in both SDR and HDR, an unusably dark factory eco mode, only two HDMI 2.1 ports, and — oddly — no downward-firing Ambilight.
Good and cheap: Sony KD-55X85L
The sensible entry point: Direct LED backlighting delivers relatively contrast-rich 4K, Dolby Vision is supported, and the equipment is unusually generous for the money — two triple-tuners with independent twin-recording over USB, Android TV with every major streamer, and two full HDMI 2.1 ports. The compromises are visible: mid-pack brightness, a colour gamut that only just serves HDR, and noticeable motion trails on fast objects. Very frugal with standard content.
OLED or LCD?
The field's structural answer: at the high end, OLED has won — even Samsung, long the QLED-LCD champion, now builds on it. OLED controls brightness per pixel, switching individual points off entirely for reference blacks and thriving in visually complex scenes where light and dark interweave; viewing-angle stability is near-total and DCI-P3 coverage complete. LCD's counterpunch is large-area brightness — snowscapes and bright studios — where the Bravia 9 II's near-4,000 cd/m² shows what the technology can still do, typically for less money per inch.
More from this test field on our site
Beyond the picks above, the same 57-product ranking produced our review of the Sony Bravia 7 II — the value route into RGB Mini LED with a field-best BT.2020 result at its price — and our best OLED TVs guide covers the self-emissive half of the market in depth.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best TV in 2026? On the current test standings: the LG OLED G6 overall, with the Sony Bravia 9 II as the best LCD alternative and the TCL 65C7K as the value pick. The full reasoning per pick is above.
Who makes the best OLED TV? LG holds both the overall crown (G6) and the premium-value slot (G5), with Samsung's QD-OLED S90F as the cheapest genuinely great OLED and Philips' OLED959 as the feature flagship for Ambilight fans.
Is OLED worth it over LCD? For films, dark-room viewing and off-axis seating, yes — pixel-level contrast is unmatched. If your room is bright or your content is sport-heavy, the top LCDs now measure nearly twice as bright at full screen, usually for less money.
