Best OLED TV in 2024: Tested and reviewed (2024)

The best OLED TV is a prestigious title. OLED TVs are the pinnacle of picture reproduction, phenomenal motion processing and top-of-the-line upscaling. With unbeatable black levels and perfect contrast, they offer a cinema-like experience for not that much more money than a traditional LED-LCD or QLED TV.

Despite costing more than an equivalent Mini-LED or QLED TV, you don't need to spend a fortune to get the best OLED TV: Both the Samsung S95C and ever-popular LG C3 OLED can be had for under $1,500, while the LG B3 OLED can be found for right around $1,000. You can spend more for better picture performance — the LG C4 OLED and Sony A95L OLED both offer a more refined viewing experience — but don't feel like you're locked out of buying an OLED just because you don't have $2,000 or $3,000 to spend.

To make sure every OLED lives up to the hype, we do test every OLED TV that comes out in a given year with a slate of measured, quantifiable lab tests that look for peak brightness, color saturation levels, color accuracy, and their input latency, which is important for gamers. Be sure to keep an eye on this page throughout the year as we continue to test and add more picks to our list.

The quick list

The best OLED TV you can buy: a visual guide

About the author

Written by

Written by

Nick Pino

My name's Nick and I look after our guides to the best TVs, best OLED TVs and best 4K TVs. Most of my day is spent watching and evaluating new screens from LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, TCL and Vizio. I have 10 years of experience in AV, and before I joined Tom's Guide I was formerly the Senior Editor, TV and AV at TechRadar. I love helping people find the perfect TV, so please feel free to reach out over email or tag me on Twitter and I can help you out.

The full list: Best OLED TVs in detail

Samsung is back in the OLED game, and its top-of-the-line S95C OLED is the best in the business. It's technically a new QD-OLED model that offers better color saturation and brightness levels than the competition, which was something we saw reflected in our tests. We measured a 9.2ms lag time with a Leo Bodnar 4K Lag Tester, which means you'll get responsive gameplay when you pair the TV with a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

On the picture quality side of things, the S95C covers 141.5% of the Rec 709 color space (some of the highest color saturation we've seen on any TV) and has a Delta-E accuracy score of 1.4, which means that colors highly accurate. Our tests showed that it's 30% brighter than the Samsung S95B OLED and close to double the brightness of last year's LG OLED TVs.

Our test results and our anecdotal testing have proven to us beyond any doubt that this is the best OLED TV available to buy right now, bar none.

Read our full Samsung S95C OLED review.

Best Value OLED TV

For years, OLED has been synonymous with words like "expensive" because of their lofty sticker prices. These days, though, OLED TVs aren't significantly more expensive than their mid-range Mini-LED counterparts. The LG C3 OLED proves that point by costing under a grand for the 42-inch and 48-inch models, while keeping pace with the competition's pricing at 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes.

The variety of screen sizes and the myriad price points is what makes the C3 a good pick if you're on the fence about dropping a ton of money on an OLED. You can dip your toes in with a smaller model to see what you think before trading out the 65-inch TV in your living room. The good news is, besides some minor differences in peak brightness, all the models have similar specs. They all are 120Hz native refresh rates and sport four full-spec HDMI 2.1 ports. In our tests, the LG C3 hit around 820 nits at peak brightness and covered 98.98% of the UHDA-P3 Color Gamut. That's a drop down from the LG G3 mentioned above, but still quite admirable.

It can't overtake the leaders in the category like the Samsung S95C or Sony A95L, but the LG C3 OLED is a fantastic screen that you can buy for a lot less than you'd think.

Read our full LG C3 OLED review.

Cheapest OLED TV

When it comes to getting OLED TVs on the cheap, you have two options: You can either buy a model second-hand or go for an entry-level model like the LG B3 OLED. While you can sometimes find great deals on second-hand OLEDs, most people are usually trying to unload older screens with some image retention issues that are now out of warranty. That said, we recommend buying something new-in-box.

When it comes to the most affordable OLED TVs, the LG B3 OLED is king. You might still be able to find some older A2 OLED models floating around out there, but the B3 is only a year old and can often be found for right around $1,000.

Despite a lower price tag, its color reproduction is excellent, and its low input lag of 10.1ms and 120Hz refresh rate make it great for gamers. Cinephiles will appreciate the incorporation of Dolby Vision, and while there's no HDR10+ support, you're still going to get an amazing HDR performance from this screen.

The only downsides here are its lackluster audio and limited HDMI 2.1 port selections, but those are small compromises to make for a TV this good.

Read our full LG B3 OLED review

Best Sony OLED TV

The top picks on our list are there because we think they offer the best bang for your buck. But if money isn't a factor in your buying decision, then the A95L OLED from Sony should definitely be in consideration. Its picture isn't just good, it's absolutely jaw-dropping. Everything we watched on it during our testing looked better than in the cinemas thanks to its perfect black levels and perfect motion processing.

Its top-class picture processing and audio performance help justify the high sticker price, as does its support for Google TV. Even more so than LG's WebOS or Samsung's Tizen, Google TV does an exceptional job delivering recommended content based on shows and movies you've liked previously, and is easily customizable through the settings. With a Delta E of 2.856 right out of the box, it doesn't take much to get colors looking their absolute best, but Google TV doesn't make extra tweaking harder than it needs to be.

For nearly $3,000, it targets cinephiles with cash to splash, but the A95L needs to be seen to be believed.

Read our full Sony Bravia XR A95L OLED review

Newest OLED TV

If you don't follow them closely, it can be hard to know which OLED TVs are new and which ones have been sitting on store shelves for the last 12 months. The LG C4 OLED is the newest 2024 model and just became available in April of this year.

Because it's so new, it's more expensive than last year's C3 OLED, but our lab tests show that it offers a higher peak brightness (1,049 nits on the C4 vs 820 nits on the C3). If you plan on watching mostly HDR content from sources like Max, Disney Plus, Netflix and Amazon, then it's worth forking over the extra money. If you still watch HD/SDR content from your cable box, then save some money by picking up the LG C3 OLED instead.

Read our full LG C4 OLED review

Best Sounding OLED TV

If you've ever had a hard time hearing dialogue during your favorite show or movie, you'll know that sound is just as important and picture quality. Thankfully, the Sony A80L is no slouch in either category. Both its visuals and audio are fantastic, and because it sits a little lower in the lineup than the A95L mentioned above, it's not nearly as cost-prohibitive.

That said, it sits down here on our list because it's not the brightest OLED (again, that honor belongs to either the Samsung S95C or Sony A95L) and its specs are a little less powerful than the models above it. You still get Google TV here, which is a big plus, and the perfect black levels you've come to expect from OLED.

If you want a TV that sounds as good as it looks or one that pushes the limits of the screen size without breaking the bank, the A80L delivers.

Read our full Sony Bravia XR A80L review.

OLED TV FAQs

How much do OLED TVs cost?

The cheapest 4K OLED TV is the LG A2 OLED, our final pick on the page. It's there because it can't contend with the other OLED TVs from Samsung, Sony or LG, but it's at an impossible-to-beat price.

That said, the majority of OLED TVs in the 55- and 65-inch range sell for between $1,500 and $2,000, but premium models will often cost more, and larger screen sizes can routinely sell for $3,000 or more.

What is OLED?

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, a display technology that uses organic compounds to create clusters of red, green, blue, and white points of light to make up the individual pixels of the TV. On a 4K TV with 3840 x 2160 resolution, that means a single OLED panel will have 8.29 million pixels. And unlike standard LCD TVs, each one of those pixels produces its own light, and can be individually turned on or off, brightened or dimmed.

That pixel-level control of brightness lets OLED offer the best contrast of any display technology, with neighboring pixels delivering everything from intense brightness to true black, and every color imaginable.

As a result, OLED TVs consistently outperform the majority of LED-lit LCD TVs, whether they use standard LCD panels or boost the picture quality with enhancements like quantum dots (also known as QLED) or discrete dimming zones.

You can find similar-performing technology out there (microLED is another display type that uses microscopic light-emitting diodes for perfect contrast) but OLED is still the most mainstream option out there.

Are OLED TVs worth buying?

If you want a truly excellent TV, OLED is absolutely worth considering. It offers better picture quality than standard LCD TVs can match, and with prices coming down every year, they're no longer prohibitively expensive either. In testing and reviews, OLED TVs have consistently offered some of the best picture quality available.

There are areas of performance where LCDs offer better performance. Brightness on OLED TVs is no match for the greater intensity you can produce with an LED backlight, and LCD sets don't have the same risk of burn-in or color drift that OLEDs have to contend with long-term. But in virtually every other area, from viewing angles to color accuracy, OLED sets match or beat LCD-based competitors hands down.

But there is some question of whether that improved quality is worth the added expense. When there are 4K models selling for under $500, why spend $1,000 or more on an OLED set? There is definitely a case to be made for spending less for quality that is comparable, if not exactly the same.

But if you want the best color, contrast and overall quality you can get from a TV today, OLED is the way to go.

How to choose the best OLED TV

How to choose the best OLED TVs for you

The above selection of OLED TVs offer an embarrassment of riches for TV shoppers to choose from, with everything from basic functionality to advanced smart features and premium designs.

The biggest factor in most shopper's decision making will be price, but other differences include physical designs.

Smart features are also a differentiator. LG sets offer a pretty consistent experience across all of its models thanks to the webOS platform, but Sony's Google TV and Samsung's Tizen sets have strengths and weaknesses of their own.

Interested in a specific TV brand, price range or screen size? Check out our picks for the best TVs in each.

Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming

The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500

Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs

The smallest smart TVs | Best 43-inch TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 65-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs

How we test the best OLED TVs

How we test OLED TVs

Every OLED TV we review goes through a thorough testing and evaluation process, starting with rigorous lab testing and finishing with eyes-on evaluation by our reviewers. There's a lot more to it than just putting on a couple of 4K Blu-ray movies or hooking up a game console.

In our TV test space, we submit every TV to a number of lab tests, using industry-standard equipment, such as a calibrated spectrophotometer, calibration software and a dedicated test pattern generator. We measure for several indicators of picture quality, but these are the main metrics used in all of our reviews:

Color gamut, which measures how much color a given TV can produce. Expressed as a percentage rating, most OLED TVs meet or exceed 100% of the Rec709 color space.

Color accuracy, which measures the average deviation from perfect accuracy, expressed as a number (Delta-E), with higher numbers indicating less accurate color.

Contrast, measuring the difference between the darkest darks and brightest brights that a TV can produce, which is expressed as a ratio.

Brightness, measuring the peak luminance of a panel or display. This measure is reported in nits, an industry term for candela per square meter (cd/m2).

Lag time is the interval between a signal, such as button press on a game console, and the subsequent change registering on-screen. Measured with a Leo Bodnar Video Signal Input Lag Tester, this is measured in milliseconds, and provides a good indicator of how well-suited a TV is to modern gaming.

We pair this lab testing with hands-on time, viewing video samples and movies to see how these numbers translate into real-world performance. With that information, we can tell you which TVs look best, sound best and offer the best viewing experience.

Finally, we also evaluate the smart TV software and menus, getting a feel for the navigation and functions of each TV. We look at everything from the remote control design to the voice interaction to let us meaningfully talk about the smart features and overall ease-of-use for a smart TV.