Best TV 2022

With the L2000, Panasonic may have produced its best flagship OLED yet, in the words of our reviewer, the TV redefines what is possible from a home cinema TV with superb image quality and impressive Dolby Atmos sound.

It sports the new OLED EX panel from LG Display but it’s still made to Panasonic’s custom-made specifications, and though the brightness we measured (966 nits in Standard mode) was not as bright in outright terms as the LG G2 or Samsung S95B, but the way in which the brightness is utilised produces a uniformly more brighter average picture level, making all types of content pop off the screen.

The advantage the LZ2000 holds over most TV brands aside from Philips is that it supports all the HDR formats, from HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, the image quality is finely-tuned with the help of the TV’s light sensor in bright and dark rooms. We also found that the colour volume was improved with this model, especially blue colours, which has often been an issue with WRGB OLED panels. The low light performance has also been improved, with details in the shadow areas of the TV more visible than before.

Freeview Play brings with it mainstream catch-up TV needs, and the breadth of apps available is bigger with Disney+ and Apple TV+ added in recent years.

The Panasonic LZ2000 isn’t just a TV for home cinema use. With a measured input lag of 14.5ms, it’s a responsive performer, the new Game Control board offers the chance to optimise gaming settings and the TV supports HDMI 2.1 technologies such as VRR, ALLM and 4K/120Hz. It’s a high calibre set in this regard, though short of the overall performance the LG C2 and G2 models can offer.

Panasonic has once again upgraded the Dolby Atmos speaker system welded to the back of the TV, and we found it offered the best performance yet from the 360° Soundscape Pro system, delivering obvious width and height with Atmos soundtracks. If you already have a home cinema system, then the LZ1500 is more your speed, but for those who want an all-in-one TV, then Panasonic has raised its performance yet again.

The LZ2000 is only available in Europe and the UK, as Panasonic does not sell in North America, nor has it updated its Australian range in some time.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic LZ2000

The A95K from Sony is the first QD-OLED TV we’ve tested, a hybrid TV that brings the best of OLED and Quantum Dot colour technologies to take the TV world that little bit forward.

From a design perspective we found the A95K’s screen is yet another minimalist effort from Sony but it’ll be the actual stand that causes a few issues for some home set-ups with its chunkiness. It can be placed in two ways, the rear position ensures you won’t see it from your viewing position.

The inputs are as you’d expect from a high-end TV with two HDMI 2.1 inputs and support for eARC, VRR, ALLM, and 4K/120Hz. Compare that to the LG C2‘s four HDMI 2.1 and there isn’t as much choice if you want plug in HDMI 2.1 sources. Unique to Sony’s TVs are a pair of binding posts if you want the A95K to serve as the centre channel in a (Sony-centric) surround sound system.

This isn’t necessarily a TV for gaming, with an input lag of 21ms, that’s lower than the Philips OLED936 and there’s no other VRR support for the likes of AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. If you do intend to game you’ll want a PS5 to go with this telly due to the exclusive features this TV has Auto Genre Picture mode. Samsung’s S95B QD-OLED is a better value for console and PC gaming with its faster response time and cloud gaming features.

From a performance perspective, our reviewer observed the A95K delivering superior colour fidelity detail levels especially to the brightest non-QD OLED screens currently available. The nature of OLED screens allows for excellent ‘true’ blacks, and the amount of insight in both bright and more murky scenes is truly impressive. Motion is an area where Sony excel and we felt it described quick action such as a tennis with absolute authority. With regards to its upscaling, our reviewer was less enthused with how the Sony up-rezzed lower resolution content, produce soft and edgy images.

The sound quality is impressive, big in size and accurate in terms of where effects and dialogue are placed on the screen. This is good enough that you’ll need to spend a fair bit more to really elevate the sound quality on this TV.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Sony XR-55A95K

When we reviewed the G1, we called it the bestLG OLED TV we’ve tested, but with the G2 OLED now available, that crown falls to LG’s brightest OLED. It’s still the same Gallery design with its uniformly flat rear panel for wall-mounting as before, but extra improvements to the panel with the new OLED EX and tweaked OLED Evo technologies have reaped an even brighter performance.

We measured the HDR performance on a 10% window to be just over 1000 nits, which is the brightest OLED we’ve tested so far. That’s better than the C2 but not quite as good as the Samsung S95B, but nevertheless, the extra brightness results in brighter, more intense showing with highlights, producing greater contrast and depth for a striking, and slick looking HDR performance.

Detail levels are high, with images fed a good deal of sharpness and colours rendered in a lush manner, especially with Dolby Vision IQ. Upscaling of less than 4K images is strong and motion has been improved – perhaps not quite up to the standard of Sony’s A95K or the Panasonic LZ2000, but it is much smoother and less distracting.

For gaming the G2 is superior to almost every other non-LG TV on the market. HDMI 2.1 is supported across all the HDMI inputs, with ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz available, making it easier to plug your sources in without having to pick and choose. LG has beefed up its clouding options with the addition of Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce NOW, and we measured input lag to be 12.9ms – better than the Panasonic LZ2000 though not beating the Samsung S95B at 60Hz. With VRR that figure can be brought down to lower figures for more responsive gameplay.

The sound remains a weaker aspect of the G2’s performance, sounding restrained in its Dolby Atmos mode and lacking the kind of impact the Sony A95K delivers. We found it actually sounded better with non-Atmos soundtracks offering more detail and dynamism. We’d recommend purchasing a soundbar to go with it, though note that the G2 cannot pass through DTS soundtracks, which is disappointing for home cinema enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65G2

The C2 joins the C1 on this list rather than replacing it, the C1’s drop in price to make way for the 2022 models still makes it an enticing option for those after a 65-inch OLED. But in terms of performance, the C2 is pretty much its superior in every regard.

The design has changed, the plinth the TV stands on is smaller, which will help positioning the TV on smaller furniture, and it has the added benefit of making it easier to to trail cables in a less ungainly manner, especially helpful when adding a soundbar. Another benefit is that the TV weighs much less than previous generations, and the C2 looks all the better for it.

Like previous LG TVs, it bears a comprehensive roster of gaming features with ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz HFR across all its HDMI inputs, making it a better specc’d TV for gaming than the Samsung QN95B. Latency isn’t as fast as the Samsung model but with Game Boost (for 60Hz content) and VRR engaged, latency falls to very low levels anyway. Google Stadia and GeForce Now add its cloud streaming capabilities.

The C2 gets the brighter OLED evo panel that first arrived with the 2021 G1. Picture quality, as we’ve come to expect from LG, is fantastic. We found it to be expressive when describing contrast, the added brightness helps sell the difference between OLED’s inky blacks and bright objects on screen. The new Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail feature extracts some more detail out the darkest parts of an image, upscaling of HD sources can look stunning and motion is improved over the C1, though we still wouldn’t say it’s as capable as Sony’s A90J. This is the best C-series OLED yet in terms of picture.

Audio is once again so-so, its Dolby Atmos performance is spacious, as well as being crisp and clear, but we found it lacked impact and heft, which is quite common for TVs. A soundbar would certainly help with in boosting the TV’s sound.

The C1 was a small jump over the CX, but the C2 takes a bigger leap forward. In terms of features for a mid-range OLED TV, it’s hard to find one more complete than this model.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65C2

Samsung kicked off its 2022 range in the same manner it did its 2021 range. This Mini LED improves over its 2021 range. The closest equivalent to the QN95B in the US is the QN90B.

We found the QN95B built on the already solid foundations laid by the QN95A, with its new Shape Adaptive Light Control feature minimising blooming and increasing the screen’s ability to show highlights without reducing brightness.

The peak brightness measured was higher than the brightest OLED we’ve tested in the Panasonic JZ2000 – the QN95B’s Mini-LED backlight produces OLED-esque black levels for greater contrast between the darkest and brightest parts in an image. Add in the set’s wide colour performance and it dazzles with HDR content.

The new refreshed Tizen smart system is a comparative disappointment as we found it contained too much advertising and content suggestions. Samsung has traded the simplicity for a system that is counter-intuitive to use.

From our input lag measurements, the QN95B’s 10.4ms is not as fast as the LG G1, but still provides great conditions for responsive gameplay. The game dashboard allows settings adjustment on the fly and there’s FreeSync Premium Pro for improved performance with PC titles. With Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low Latency support, there’s freedom to plug a console into any of the HDMI ports.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN95B

If you can see past the 75QN900A’s hefty price, Samsung’s flagship 8K series sets the pulse racing with its stellar build quality and spectacular borderless design – the bezel is so slim we could barely see it from our seated position.

With a depth slimmer than the LG G1 OLED, the QN900A is well-suited for wall-mounting, especially with its removable One Connect box that incorporates the TV’s connections and funnels power, video, and audio to the TV. Like the LG, One Connect supports HDMI 2.1, with 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rates and automatic low latency mode (ALLM) featuring, as well as AMD and (unofficially) Nvidia G-Sync VRR.

Viewing a range of broadcast and disc-based media, we determined upscaling showed improvements over the Q950TS, the TV unearths clarity and detail from even the lowest-quality sources. Peak brightness is high, briefly reaching 4000 nits in our tests to produce an eye-popping HDR performance. Although blooming has been minimised, we still noticed it with some HDR content. In our estimation, Samsung’s motion processing skills aren’t as good as Sony, Panasonic, or LG.

The Object Tracking Sound Pro system creates a wide soundstage and tracks objects as they move across the screen. We feel it could benefit from going louder to match the cinematic images the screen delivers but the soundstage is wider than most. This is as good as 8K TVs have been, and HD and 4K content benefit from the increase in resolution.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900A

The AU9000 was our best affordable TV award winner from 2021 and rightly so. It looks decent for a cheap TV, its svelte depth of 26mm makes it suitable for mounting on a wall. You won’t find this model in the US, however, with the step-down AU8000 model available in that market.

We found its Tizen interface to be cleanly organised and easy to traverse, the stack of entertainment apps far more diverse than comparable cheap TVs such as the Toshiba UL20.

It’s in the gaming arena where it becomes an appealing proposition. There’s VRR and ALLM on all three HDMI inputs, a better spec than the ‘perfect for PS5’ Sony A90J, plus AMD FreeSync for PCs. We measured input lag below 10ms, which is very low and aids fast and responsive gaming.

While we didn’t find the AU9000 to be the brightest for HDR, its ability to keep white tones clean and detailed means they pop against deep and detailed black tones. Its backlighting control from its edge-lit panel also impressed, while colours are naturally and convincingly portrayed. Its upscaling skills are equally assured, better than the Hisense Roku A7200G, so if you watch a lot of daytime TV, this would be our pick.

Its audio delivery is not as confident but it is decent enough for undemanding TV. The lack of Dolby Vision HDR, a feature available on similarly priced TVs such as Philips PUS8506, is annoying. If you can ignore that and the tedious sound, there’s no way you’ll be disappointed by the AU9000.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Samsung AU9000

Roku TVs are hugely popular in the US but this model is exclusive to the UK market. We didn’t find the Hisense R50A7200GTUK to be a huge upgrade over its B7120UK predecessor – in fact, it probably sounds a little worse than the now discontinued model.

However, it bests the likes of the Toshiba UL20 with its wide-ranging feature set that includes, AirPlay 2, HomeKit, alongside wider voice assistant compatibility, cementing its position as one of the best value TVs.

The quantity of apps available is great, with the likes of Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, BT Sport, Tidal and Prime Video; while Freeview Play adds the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All4. The Roku OS is as accessible to navigate as they come, as we found content easy to find, especially with the Roku app.

It doesn’t support advanced gaming features for Xbox Series and PS5 like the Samsung AU9000, but we measured input lag at 11.8ms, which is great for fast-twitch games that require a quick response.

We observed the picture performance to be of similar quality to the B7120UK, with very good upscaling of Full HD content and an inconsistent performance with SD content.

Brightness is less than the Philips 58PUS8506, measuring around 330 nits, so it can’t depict HDR content at its vibrant best, but that’s a familiar story with all budget HDR TVs. We saw with 4K content that it could produce a natural, detailed, and colourful looking image, delivering one of the best picture performances at its price.

Sound quality is a weakness. For undemanding daytime TV it’s fine, but with films it lacks bass to give it impact but with music it sounds messy. We’d recommend budgeting for a soundbar to go with this TV.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV