10 Best Smart TVs

Wally Nowinski
editor

In today's market, where almost every TV boasts smart capabilities, our focus shifts entirely to picture quality when picking the best smart TV. Given this ubiquity, we honed in on TVs that excel in delivering exceptional picture quality, emphasizing sharpness, color accuracy, and contrast. Our selection process prioritizes these visual attributes, ensuring that the chosen TVs stand out not for their smart features, which are a given in 2024, but for their ability to provide a superior viewing experience, making picture quality the single most important criterion.

Our experts used the PerfectRec decision engine to comb through our TV database and find the Best Smart TVs available in 2024. Here are the top 10 picks.

Our criteria for Best Smart TVs:

  • Picture Quality Almost every TV on the market is a smart TV in 2024. We limited our search to the ones with the best overall picture quality.
To consider others factors, try the PerfectRec decision engine to get your personalized TV recommendation
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10 Best Smart TVs

1
BEST RATING
Movies & TV shows:
5.0
Picture Quality: Best in Class
Movies & TV: A+, Gaming: A+, Sports: A+
Bright Room: Excellent




Expert Summary
The Sony A95L OLED TV is a premium model with superb overall picture quality, making it an excellent choice for movies, sports, and gaming, especially in dark rooms where its contrast and black uniformity stand out. This TV offers an OLED display with high brightness and low reflection, which also makes it a good option for bright rooms, though there are other TVs that might outshine it in this aspect. For those interested in gaming, it has features like low response time and input lag. Sound quality is very good, and the TV can accommodate a soundbar with its adjustable stand. It supports several HDR formats including Dolby Vision but not HDR10+. Keep in mind, this TV comes at a high-end price, reflecting its premium features and performance.
Pros
  • Overall picture quality is top-notch
  • Excellent gaming, sports, and movie performance
  • Superb dark room viewing experience
  • Great sound quality with powerful speakers
  • Wide viewing angles for group watching
Cons
  • Not the brightest in sunny rooms
  • Gray uniformity could be better
  • Does not support HDR10+ format
2
BEST RATING
Gaming:
5.0
Picture Quality: Excellent
Movies & TV: A, Gaming: A+, Sports: A-
Bright Room: Very Good




Expert Summary
The Samsung S90C OLED TV is a high-end model with excellent overall picture quality, making it great for movies and series, with strong performance in bright rooms and an outstanding viewing experience in dark rooms. If gaming is a priority, this TV offers the best gaming experience with a 144Hz OLED screen and low input lag. Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the very good handling of fast-moving scenes. Although the sound quality is fair, this might not be a concern if you already have or plan to get a separate sound system. This TV comes at a premium price, but its features like a wide color gamut, high contrast, excellent HDR performance, including support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, could justify the investment if top-tier picture quality and future-proofing are important to you. Keep in mind that it may not be the best choice if you plan to use it as a PC monitor or if you heavily prioritize audio quality from the TV speakers themselves.
Pros
  • Excellent overall picture quality
  • Best for gaming experiences
  • Excellent in dark rooms
  • Very good in bright rooms
  • Wide viewing angles
Cons
  • Fair sound quality
  • No built-in great speakers
  • Not as bright as some TVs
  • No Dolby Vision support
3
BEST RATING
Gaming:
5.0
Picture Quality: Best in Class
Movies & TV: A, Gaming: A+, Sports: A-
Bright Room: Excellent




Expert Summary
The Samsung S95C OLED TV, a high-end model released in early 2023, excels in picture quality, making it an excellent choice for movies and dark room viewing. It also offers top-tier gaming performance with features like a 144Hz refresh rate, 4k resolution at 144Hz, and low input lag. For sports fans, its performance is very good, though it shines brightest with other content types. It handles bright rooms well due to its excellent reflection handling and viewing angles. The TV includes a One Connect Box for cable management, which means fewer cables will be visible, helping to maintain a clean setup.
Pros
  • Excellent overall picture quality
  • Top-notch for gaming
  • Great for movies and series
  • Outstanding dark room performance
  • Handles bright rooms well
Cons
  • No HDR10+ support
  • Sound may lack bass
  • Upscaling can be improved
  • Some motion processing issues
4
BEST RATING
Movies & TV shows:
5.0
Picture Quality: Best in Class
Movies & TV: A+, Gaming: A+, Sports: A+
Bright Room: Excellent




Expert Summary
The Sony A95L OLED TV is a premium model with superb overall picture quality, making it an excellent choice for movies, sports, and gaming, especially in dark rooms where its contrast and black uniformity stand out. This TV offers an OLED display with high brightness and low reflection, which also makes it a good option for bright rooms, though there are other TVs that might outshine it in this aspect. For those interested in gaming, it has features like low response time and input lag. Sound quality is very good, and the TV can accommodate a soundbar with its adjustable stand. It supports several HDR formats including Dolby Vision but not HDR10+. Keep in mind, this TV comes at a high-end price, reflecting its premium features and performance.
Pros
  • Overall picture quality is top-notch
  • Excellent gaming, sports, and movie performance
  • Superb dark room viewing experience
  • Great sound quality with powerful speakers
  • Wide viewing angles for group watching
Cons
  • Not the brightest in sunny rooms
  • Gray uniformity could be better
  • Does not support HDR10+ format
5
BEST RATING
Gaming:
5.0
Picture Quality: Best in Class
Movies & TV: A, Gaming: A+, Sports: A-
Bright Room: Excellent




Expert Summary
The Samsung S95C OLED TV, a high-end model released in early 2023, excels in picture quality, making it an excellent choice for movies and dark room viewing. It also offers top-tier gaming performance with features like a 144Hz refresh rate, 4k resolution at 144Hz, and low input lag. For sports fans, its performance is very good, though it shines brightest with other content types. It handles bright rooms well due to its excellent reflection handling and viewing angles. The TV includes a One Connect Box for cable management, which means fewer cables will be visible, helping to maintain a clean setup.
Pros
  • Excellent overall picture quality
  • Top-notch for gaming
  • Great for movies and series
  • Outstanding dark room performance
  • Handles bright rooms well
Cons
  • No HDR10+ support
  • Sound may lack bass
  • Upscaling can be improved
  • Some motion processing issues
6
BEST RATING
Movies & TV shows:
4.8
Picture Quality: Excellent
Movies & TV: A, Gaming: A, Sports: A-
Bright Room: Very Good




Expert Summary
The LG C3 OLED offers excellent picture quality, especially in dark rooms, making it ideal for movie enthusiasts and nighttime viewing. It has a superb contrast ratio and handles reflections well, so it's also a good fit for rooms with some light control. For gamers, its response time and low input lag provide a strong gaming experience, though it may not be as bright as some LED or QLED TVs. Sports fans will enjoy very good performance, but keep in mind that in brightly lit rooms or during daytime viewing, an OLED's brightness might be less impactful than other screen types. It supports advanced audio formats like Dolby Atmos, which enhances the viewing experience with immersive sound if you have a compatible sound system. The TV comes at a premium price, reflecting its high-end features and performance.
Pros
  • Exceptional overall picture quality
  • Outstanding for gaming
  • Excellent in dark rooms
  • Great for movies and series
  • Wide viewing angles
Cons
  • Lower brightness in bright rooms
  • Potential risk of burn-in
  • Average sound quality
  • Reflection handling could be better
7
BEST RATING
Bright Room:
4.9
Picture Quality: Very Good
Movies & TV: A-, Gaming: A-, Sports: B
Bright Room: Best in Class




Expert Summary
The Hisense U8K LCD TV offers a very good overall picture quality, making it well-suited for watching movies and series. It has excellent performance in dark rooms, with high contrast and good local dimming abilities. The screen shines particularly well in bright rooms and sports content is handled decently. If you're into gaming, this TV also provides a very good experience due to its high response time and low input lag. However, when watching sports, you may notice it's not the best performer. Color reproduction is excellent and the speakers are great, but keep in mind that the viewing angle is limited, which could be a downside if you often watch TV from wide angles. With support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, it can display a wide range of HDR content effectively. It's also equipped with 4 HDMI ports and can be used as a monitor. Overall, the TV is positioned at a midrange price and offers a slew of features that could make it a good fit for various uses, especially in bright rooms and for viewers who appreciate high-quality image and audio for movies and gaming.
Pros
  • Excellent dark room performance
  • Very good overall picture quality
  • Low input lag for gaming
  • Strong reflection handling
  • Powerful built-in speakers
Cons
  • Limited viewing angle
  • Fair performance in bright rooms
  • Gray uniformity could be better
  • Only fair sports content quality
8
BEST RATING
Bright Room:
4.9
Picture Quality: Very Good
Movies & TV: A-, Gaming: A-, Sports: B
Bright Room: Best in Class




Expert Summary
The Hisense U8K LCD TV offers a very good overall picture quality, making it well-suited for watching movies and series. It has excellent performance in dark rooms, with high contrast and good local dimming abilities. The screen shines particularly well in bright rooms and sports content is handled decently. If you're into gaming, this TV also provides a very good experience due to its high response time and low input lag. However, when watching sports, you may notice it's not the best performer. Color reproduction is excellent and the speakers are great, but keep in mind that the viewing angle is limited, which could be a downside if you often watch TV from wide angles. With support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, it can display a wide range of HDR content effectively. It's also equipped with 4 HDMI ports and can be used as a monitor. Overall, the TV is positioned at a midrange price and offers a slew of features that could make it a good fit for various uses, especially in bright rooms and for viewers who appreciate high-quality image and audio for movies and gaming.
Pros
  • Excellent dark room performance
  • Very good overall picture quality
  • Low input lag for gaming
  • Strong reflection handling
  • Powerful built-in speakers
Cons
  • Limited viewing angle
  • Fair performance in bright rooms
  • Gray uniformity could be better
  • Only fair sports content quality
9
BEST RATING
Bright Room:
4.9
Picture Quality: Very Good
Movies & TV: A-, Gaming: A-, Sports: B
Bright Room: Best in Class




Expert Summary
The Hisense U8K LCD TV offers a very good overall picture quality, making it well-suited for watching movies and series. It has excellent performance in dark rooms, with high contrast and good local dimming abilities. The screen shines particularly well in bright rooms and sports content is handled decently. If you're into gaming, this TV also provides a very good experience due to its high response time and low input lag. However, when watching sports, you may notice it's not the best performer. Color reproduction is excellent and the speakers are great, but keep in mind that the viewing angle is limited, which could be a downside if you often watch TV from wide angles. With support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, it can display a wide range of HDR content effectively. It's also equipped with 4 HDMI ports and can be used as a monitor. Overall, the TV is positioned at a midrange price and offers a slew of features that could make it a good fit for various uses, especially in bright rooms and for viewers who appreciate high-quality image and audio for movies and gaming.
Pros
  • Excellent dark room performance
  • Very good overall picture quality
  • Low input lag for gaming
  • Strong reflection handling
  • Powerful built-in speakers
Cons
  • Limited viewing angle
  • Fair performance in bright rooms
  • Gray uniformity could be better
  • Only fair sports content quality
10
BEST RATING
Gaming:
5.0
Picture Quality: Best in Class
Movies & TV: A, Gaming: A+, Sports: A-
Bright Room: Excellent




Expert Summary
The Samsung S95C OLED TV, a high-end model released in early 2023, excels in picture quality, making it an excellent choice for movies and dark room viewing. It also offers top-tier gaming performance with features like a 144Hz refresh rate, 4k resolution at 144Hz, and low input lag. For sports fans, its performance is very good, though it shines brightest with other content types. It handles bright rooms well due to its excellent reflection handling and viewing angles. The TV includes a One Connect Box for cable management, which means fewer cables will be visible, helping to maintain a clean setup.
Pros
  • Excellent overall picture quality
  • Top-notch for gaming
  • Great for movies and series
  • Outstanding dark room performance
  • Handles bright rooms well
Cons
  • No HDR10+ support
  • Sound may lack bass
  • Upscaling can be improved
  • Some motion processing issues