What Is The Best TV Brand To Buy in UK? (2024 Review)

If you’re looking for a new TV, it can be confusing. There are so many brands available nowadays and all offering different features. Even though they all essentially look the same, there are a number of features that differentiate one from another.

When it comes to TVs, size is important, especially if you’re looking for that cinema type experience in your own home. If you are on a budget, you might consider sacrificing some of that next generation technology and picture quality for a few more inches of screen.

Or, you might have a particular size in mind and are in the market for the best picture quality you can find. If that’s you, then you’ll need to go for the best you can find in display technology.

That’s where this guide comes in, we have looked at all the popular brands, and can highlight all that you need to know to make an informed choice.  

Samsung TVs

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There can’t be too many people who haven’t heard of Samsung, especially as they sell the most TVs worldwide. They sell more TVs simply because they offer a wide range of sets at various prices and their quality is far above other budget brands.

Whether you’re after 4K LCD TVs, OLED TVs or QLED TVs, Samsung has them all. They also have a hybrid QD-OLED TV and they were one of the first to introduce 8K TVs. They are also the only TV brand currently to have their own voice assistant – Bixby. This allows you to command your TV to switch channels, find a particular program etc with just your voice, no more searching for the remote.

Hisense TVs

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If you’re looking for a budget TV, you’ll probably be shown plenty of Hisense TVs. The brand offers top of the range technological features like 4K/HDR and quantum dots at a fraction of the price you’d expect to pay from other brands. 

There are several processing issues with Hisense TVs especially concerning images and especially light blooming. Also their Smart platform “Vidaa U” has a few issues but apart from that they are great value for money sets.

Sony TVs

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Sony makes some great TVs and as you’d expect from Sony, the audio quality is hard to beat. Their top priced models feature Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ which passes sounds through the actual TV screen instead of using the rear, downward or upward facing speakers. They also have built-in woofers for extra bass.

TCL TVs

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TCL TVs are responsible for around 10% of the worldwide TV market. Similarly to Hisense, TCL specialise in the budget end of the TV market. In some cases the picture quality and processing might be slightly off but not enough to deter you from buying on,  given the price and range of features. 

Philips TVs

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Another tried and tested brand, Philips have Ambilight technology which can project on screen colours onto the wall behind the set when it’s in use. This enhances the whole experience and immerses you into the screen. 

Their top of the range models incorporate a built-in Bowers & Wilkins Soundbar as well as support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

Panasonic TVs

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Panasonic is another name that’s been around for many years, and their TVs offer some great features. Features like HDR format including HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) broadcasts, as well as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision dynamic HDR on many of their lower priced models. 

Their OLED models focus on cinematic sound quality and depending on the model the Dolby Atmos speaker system ranges from 30W to 140W.

Toshiba TVs

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Toshiba might not have the same credentials as some of the other brands we’ve featured in this list but they frequently feature on the Amazon best selling TVs list. The top of the range models now feature Dolby Vision, the highest form of HDR and some pretty good Smart features. They also include built-in Alexa, eARC, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Atmos. 

LG TVs

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If you like the look of an OLED TV whatever the brand, the OLED panel will have been manufactured by LG. It’s reasonable to assume that LG makes the best OLED TVs. LG TVs offer probably the best in the way of colours, contrast and deep blacks. Plus they have their webOS smart platform which brings the whole experience together.

How To Pick The Right TV For You 

Whether you’re an avid gamer, film fan or just enjoy a good documentary, TVs have something for everyone. However, with so many choices it can be difficult, which is why we’ve put together this short buyer’s guide to help you through the minefield that is TV specifications.

There are a number of features that you need to consider before buying a new TV. Here is a short description of the most pertinent features;

Resolution

When it comes to the resolution of the TV, you need to consider just what you need to enhance your entertainment. High Definition comes in 3 different stages; 

• Full HD/FHD which is also known as 1080p, has 1,920 x 1,080 pixels on the screen
• Ultra HD/UHD which is often called 4K has 3,840 x 2,160 pixels on the screen
• 8K has 7,680 x 4,320 pixels on the screen

You’ll find it’s only the smallest and cheapest TVs that use FHD/1080p resolution. 4K is the standard resolution you’ll find on most decent TVs as it offers 4 times the resolution of 1080p HD. 

8K models are beginning to gain popularity, although, there’s not really too much 8K content available. Which means all you’ll be doing is watching scaled up 4K content on a 8K TV at the present time. Plus 8K is an emerging technology and is therefore currently an expensive option.

Size

When it comes to deciding on the size of TV you need, you need to consider the size of the room and how far away from the TV you will usually be sitting from it. A TV is always measured diagonally from corner to corner and includes the outer frame of the TV. This means the actual screen size can be about ½ inch smaller than is stated in any literature.

 TVs tend to range from 32, 40, 43, 48, 49, 50, 55, 58, 65, 70, 75, 77 and 82 inch screens. There are other sizes available within this range but these are the most common. 

There is absolutely no point buying a TV that is too small for the room you will be watching it in. This is because if you were to sit too far away from a 4K HDR TV, it won’t look any better than a far cheaper 1080p model.

To determine the correct size TV for your home you need to measure the distance between your sofa and the TV and divide it by 2. For example if your sofa is 80 inches away from your TV you will need a 40 inch TV (80÷2=40). If your calculation gives you a number that’s not available in TV sizes just opt for the closest size to it.

LCD TVs

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and was developed to replace the old cold cathode fluorescent tubes. They have a panel of liquid crystals which light from a backlight shine. The backlight was originally provided by Cold cathode fluorescent tubes until LEDs came on the scene.

So LCD TVs incorporate LEDs as backlights. LCDs were far thinner, brighter, cheaper to produce and had far more colour than the old cold cathode fluorescent tube TVs of yesteryear.

LED

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode and in TVs that means a liquid crystal display (LCD) that is backlit by LED rather than the old fashioned cold cathode fluorescent tube backlighting. LEDs use 20 to 30% less power than standard fluorescent tubes and they last longer. Added to their far thinner screens, they are also significantly lighter than cathode TVs.

OLED

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diodes and is a way different technology to LED TVs. Without getting too technical, OLED TVs produce a far brighter light and they need no backlighting. This means they can be thinner and weigh significantly less than other modern display technologies. 

They have a wider viewing angle and only use between 2 to 10 volts to operate. This makes them incredibly cheaper to run, however, they are currently very expensive. This could all change in the near future as the technology grows and more companies get involved.

QLED

QLED stands for Quantum dot Light Emitting Diode and is a display technology that uses phosphorescent crystals to improve the LED backlighting on LCD TVs. In a recent study, QLED TVs were shown to have a longer lifespan, higher brightness, larger screens and a lower price than OLED TVs. However, OLED TVs were considered to have better viewing angles, deeper levels of black, use less power and are considerably better for gaming.

Gaming Features

If you’re looking for a TV that’s going to be used primarily for gaming, you’ll want to look for the following features;

• Multiple HDMI 2.1 ports
• Supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
• Supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
• Has a 120Hz panel

Sound Systems

The main criticism with all modern TVs (with some exceptions) is the sound quality is relatively poor compared to the visual quality. If you decide to update your TVs sound system you have 2 choices;

1. A soundbar
2. Surround sound

Both of these will enhance the sound you receive from your TV which includes Dolby Atmos for movies and TV programs. Both allow streaming through bluetooth or wifi from your phone, and both allow control through Alexa or Google Assistant.

Soundbars are cheaper than surround sound systems and they take up far less room space. However, surround sound systems give a far better sound.

The soundbar sits at the front of the TV whereas the surround sound includes upto 5 speakers including rear speakers, centre speaker (for dialogue) and a subwoofer (for bass).

So it boils down to just how much you are prepared to pay for extra sound and how much space you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

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