← All guides

Electronics

Television

Every TV on the wall is 4K and 'HDR'. What separates them is panel type, how bright the HDR actually gets, and whether the ports keep up with your console.

Find your fit

A few questions about your situation, not about the product.

How bright is the room?
What do you watch most?
How far is the sofa?

Answer all 3 questions to see the spec sheet to shop with.

The spec sheet, decoded

Panel type: LED, QLED, mini-LED, OLED

How the picture is lit — backlight zones, quantum dots, or self-lit pixels.

Why it matters

OLED gives perfect black in dark rooms; mini-LED gets far brighter for sunlit living rooms.

What to check

'QLED' is still a backlit LCD. It is not related to OLED despite the name.

Peak brightness (nits) and local dimming zones

How bright highlights get, and how finely the backlight can dim.

Why it matters

Under ~500 nits, HDR content just looks dim and washed out.

What to check

'HDR10 support' only means it accepts the signal — not that it can display it.

Native refresh rate (60 Hz vs 120 Hz)

How many real frames the panel can show per second.

Why it matters

120 Hz matters for consoles and sport; motion 'engines' with invented numbers do not.

What to check

'Motion Rate 240' style figures are marketing, not panel refresh rate.

HDMI versions and ports

HDMI 2.1 carries 4K120, VRR and eARC; 2.0 does not.

Why it matters

One 2.1 port means the soundbar and console fight over it.

What to check

Some TVs list HDMI 2.1 but only one port supports the full bandwidth.

Viewing angle and reflections

How the picture holds up off-centre and against windows.

Why it matters

VA panels have great contrast but wash out from the side; IPS is the reverse.

What to check

A glossy screen opposite a window is unwatchable in daytime.

Sound and eARC

Built-in speaker power, and whether the TV can pass lossless audio to a soundbar.

Why it matters

Thin TVs cannot hold decent speakers; eARC lets one cable do everything later.

What to check

Budget a soundbar from day one on any slim TV.

Smart platform and ads

The built-in OS: Google TV, webOS, Tizen, Fire TV.

Why it matters

It decides app availability, update life, and how much of the home screen is advertising.

What to check

Cheap TVs slow down badly in two years; a separate streaming stick is a cheap fix.

Before you pay

  • Measure the viewing distance: about 1.2–1.5× the screen diagonal for 4K.
  • Check how many full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports there are, not just 'HDMI 2.1 support'.
  • Look up measured peak brightness in a review, never the brochure figure.
  • Note the room: bright room favours mini-LED, dark room favours OLED.
  • Confirm eARC on the port you'll use for a soundbar.

Common traps

  • !Invented motion-rate numbers presented as refresh rate.
  • !'HDR ready' on a 300-nit panel.
  • !Buying a bigger screen than the room's viewing distance supports, then sitting too close.

Typical range: entry LED to premium OLED; mini-LED sits between and is often the value pick.

Next guide