The Best OLED TVs
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OLED is the best screen technology right now, which means the best OLED TVs provide the pinnacle of picture quality. Imagine a perfectly black screen in which each tiny pixel is controlled independently for an image that seems to appear from the void like magic. It’s almost hard to believe it’s real, and it keeps getting better. Display manufacturers like LG and Samsung have pushed OLED beyond expectations for brighter highlights, richer and more natural colors, and faster refresh rates to elevate everything you watch or play.
OLED TVs aren’t cheap, but they’re not the pinnacle of TV decadence they were a few short years ago, offering increasingly approachable luxury. If you appreciate a quality home theater experience, there’s no better payoff for your investment. We spend countless hours of meticulous testing to curate the best of the best, so get ready to be dazzled. For more buying tips, check out our list of the Best TVs, the Best Soundbars, the Best Streaming Devices, and our guide on How to Choose the Right TV.
Updated May 2025: We've added the LG G5 and updated copy and pricing with the latest information.
What's the difference between OLED and LED?
Unlike LED TVs, which use a combination of an LCD panel and LED backlighting, OLED (which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode) uses special organic material that lights up when fed electricity. OLED is an “emissive” display technology, meaning each of an OLED panel's millions of pixels can turn on or off independently. Because of this comprehensive lighting control, emissive display technologies like OLED—and the more experimental (and expensive) microLED—can provide perfect black levels and superior contrast over traditional LED displays for better overall picture quality.
What about QLED?
QLED TVs use tiny nanoparticles called quantum dots for enhanced brightness and colors, and are now commonplace with most TV brands. They offer higher brightness than LED TVs and most OLED TVs; some budget-conscience QLED models from brands like Hisense and TCL even outshine the priciest OLEDs. But OLED TVs have their own brightness innovations, including some that incorporate quantum dots (known as QD-OLEDs), alongside other innovations. The best OLED TVs can now get as all but the brightest QLED TVs. OLED’s mix of advanced brightness, perfect black levels, near-infinite contrast, and excellent viewing angles adds up to a more balanced performance than similarly priced QLEDs.
What is OLED burn-in?
Especially in its early years, OLED's standout concern has been its increased risk of burn-in, or image retention, over traditional backlit displays. Due in part to the use of organic compounds, OLED panels can more easily degrade at different rates over time, which could potentially lead to variations in brightness and colors.
Thankfully, OLED burn-in is increasingly less common in modern TVs for several reasons, including features like screen savers, static image detection, and other hardware methods to reduce and rectify image retention. While burn-in remains a mild concern, it's worth considering only for extremely high-volume users like gamers who keep a static image on screen for multiple hours (or days) at a time. Even then it usually isn't permanent. For most, OLED burn-in isn't something to worry about.
For more info about TV technology, from quantum dots to 4K, check out our guides on How to Choose the Right TV (also linked above), How to Setup Your New TV, and HDR, or visit the “Helpful Definitions” section in our Best TVs guide for more info.
The Best OLED for Most People
LG’s second-tier OLED strikes a brilliant balance between performance and value, making it the best way to splurge on that OLED glow with a guilt-free conscience. The C4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) may not get as bright as the top flagships in the space, but it’s more than fiery enough to pep up your favorite Dolby Vision content, while its perfectly black backdrop and vivid yet natural colors will keep you mesmerized by everything from nature docs to sitcoms. It's particularly enticing at this point in its cycle, since it's often on sale at a discount of $1,000 or more over its launch price.
Along with its skillful performance, the TV’s webOS smart system has evolved steadily to provide speedy streaming and intuitive navigation via LG’s Wii-style Magic Remote. You’ll get plenty of other features, including HDMI 2.1 support across all four inputs for high-paced gaming at up to 144 Hz with supported devices, alongside conveniences like Chromecast and AirPlay streaming and voice search. The C4 finishes the package with an understated pedestal stand and ultra-slim bezels for a statement piece that never needs to raise its voice.
Specs Display type OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (up to 4K@144 Hz) HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x4); VRR, ALLM Smarts webOS The Best Premium OLED
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
LG’s new G5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best TV we've tested across virtually all metrics, providing a dazzling picture that has to be seen to be appreciated. You'll find excellent glare reduction for deep and rich black levels even in bright rooms, deep and rich colors, and fantastic picture clarity and upscaling. Last but not least, the G5 offers the best brightness we've seen from an OLED screen, matching or even beating many premium QLED displays.
The secret is in the G5’s breakthrough four-stack panel, which uses multiple color layers to increase brightness and color saturation, and was also teased in the new Panasonic Z95B OLED at CES. The G5 provides plenty of other bounty, including top-line gaming features across all inputs and the addition of Xbox Cloud streaming to the webOS streaming portal. I don't love the new remote and found a few streaming hiccups over several weeks, but LG has seemingly fixed some initial HDR bugs a few reviewers noted, providing a near-flawless viewing experience.
Specs Display type OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (up to 4K@165 Hz) HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x4); VRR, ALLM Smarts webOS
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The Best OLED for Gaming
The S90D (9/10, WIRED Recommends) provides a formidable counterpunch to LG’s C4, offering similarly fantastic performance and plenty of features from the other side of the OLED coin. Most (but not all) S90D models employ quantum dots, including the 65-inch model we tested, designed to provide enhanced colors and brightness as part of the Samsung OLED second coming. The gambit has paid off nicely, with a punchy display that leverages OLED’s best traits like perfect black levels and near-infinite contrast, now at a steep discount on sale.
The S90D matches its visual excellence with serious gaming chops, including a 144 Hz variable refresh rate across all four inputs, ALLM (auto low latency mode), and cloud gaming from services like Xbox, Luna, and others. You’ll also get plenty of smart features in Samsung’s loaded (if quirky) Tizen interface, all wrapped in a stylish design. Like all Samsung TVs, the S90D doesn’t support Dolby Vision, opting for HDR10+ instead, but its blend of features and performance makes it a top choice.
Specs Display type QD-OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (up to 4K@144 Hz) HDR Support HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x4); VRR, ALLM Smarts Tizen The Best for Sights and Sounds
Panasonic’s Z95A (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a fantastic home theater experience in all aspects, something you can't say about most rivals. Powered by the same MLA panel found in the LG G4, it provides searing OLED brightness that’s skillfully controlled, and fantastic color shading for hues as naturalistic as they are entrancing.
Panasonic didn't end there, adding the best onboard sound system of any TV we've tested, including surprisingly spacious Dolby Atmos. Like Sony TVs, the Z95A is short on HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming, and its Fire TV smart TV system is just OK. Its screen size is also limited to 55- and 65-inches. The TV's sweet sound and extras like a swiveling pedestal stand and support for all major HDR flavors (a rarity) make up for those drawbacks, providing a stellar all-in-one experience for smaller home theaters and living rooms.
Specs Display type OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (up to 4K@144 Hz) HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x2), HDMI 2.0 (x2); VRR, ALLM Smarts Fire TV
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The Most Immersive Picture
After releasing the stunning A95L (9/10, WIRED Recommends) late in 2023, Sony took its time in revealing the follow-up in the Bravia 8 II (which I'll be testing soon). With a TV this good, that’s not too surprising. Pairing a striking Samsung QD-OLED panel with Sony’s fabulous picture processing and upscaling, the A95L offers among the best real-world performance I’ve evaluated. Its carefully curated colors and pristine detail for a picture so clear you'll feel like you could fall in.
Sony’s version of Google TV makes setup, streaming, and navigation pretty simple, alongside plenty of smart features and Sony exclusives like optimized gaming for the PlayStation 5. One negative is the lack of gaming support across all four HDMI inputs—like Panasonic, Sony adds only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is designed for connecting audio devices. That and its high price are the only real downsides. Now that it's often on sale, it's especially enticing.
Specs Display type QD-OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x2), HDMI 2.0 (x2); VRR, ALLM Smarts Google TV The Best OLED for Pesky Reflections
The Samsung S95D (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is unlike any other TV on this list due to its matte-like screen designed to diffuse and defray even direct lighting for enhanced glare reduction. It’s a cool innovation, especially for those with difficult rooms, but it takes something away from the perceived depth and richness of the TV’s black levels in some settings. Samsung went big on matte screens for its 2025 lineup (testing coming soon), aiming to limit this effect while maximizing glare resistance.
The S95D remains a killer TV for the right buyer. Along with excellent glare resistance, you’re getting one of the most powerful OLED displays in the current marketplace, matching potent brightness with impactful contrast, richly saturated colors, and vivid 4K detail. The TV takes a final hit for its lack of Dolby Vision support, but for those with an ultra-bright room, the S95D lets you have your OLED and see it too. Bye-bye, backlit TVs.
Specs Display type QD-OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (up to 4K@144 Hz) HDR Support HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x4); VRR, ALLM Smarts Tizen
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How About a Budget OLED TV?
If you're looking for the best OLED bang for your buck from the current crop, look no further than LG's B-series, which sits a step below the value-forward C-series. While we weren't able to test LG's B4 OLED last year, its specs and overall performance are comparable to the LG C3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) we tested in 2023. The B4 offers similar brightness and colors, and gaming extras like four HDMI 2.1 ports and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) at up to 144 Hz. It's now often on clearance for an even better value. We'll be testing the new B5 OLED this year, but the B4 is in the perfect spot for those after a serious deal.
On that note, a great way to save on an OLED (or any TV for that matter) is to buy the previous model before stock runs out. Sure, you'll miss out on the latest software enhancements and (likely) a boost in brightness, but you'll save a lot of cash and could free up your budget for a pick from our best soundbars or best bookshelf speakers guides.
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