Top 5 Premium Ultra HDTVs - A Comprehensive Guide

Read update

• We’ve updated our picks for the best 8K TV overall and best gaming 8K TV with the Samsung QN900C.

8K TVs represent the peak of television technology right now, but which of them are worth the premium price tag? We have selected the best 8K TVs that provide a truly excellent experience.

UPDATE: 02/05/2024

We’ve updated our picks for the best 8K TV overall and best gaming 8K TV with the Samsung QN900C.

• 
  
  Samsung

Samsung QN900C

Best 8K TV Overall
See at Amazon

• 
  
  Samsung

Samsung QN900C

Best 8K TV for Gaming
See at Amazon

LG Z2

Best OLED 8K TV
$7997 at Amazon

What to Look for With an 8K TV in 2024

8K TVs have come a long way in just a few years. Not only has the number of 8K televisions on the market grown, but their pricing has also come down significantly in some cases. They no longer seem entirely superfluous and are becoming a reasonable investment.

An essential feature to look for in an 8K TV is its upscaling capability . Upscaling is the process used by the television to increase the resolution of lower-resolution content. As you’ll mostly watch 4K, Full-HD, and HD content on your TV, upscaling quality will play a significant role in making such content look good on screen.

The scarcity of native 8K content is often cited as an argument against 8K TVs. But with upscaling, you’ll still be able to enjoy the full resolution of your 8K TV. If you are looking for the best TV technology, 8K TVs are your best bet as they include the best of what TV manufacturers have to offer.

You’ll also want the 8K TV to offer a fantastic visual experience. There are two display technologies currently available in 8K TVs—LED and OLED . Both have their positives and negatives. However, 8K OLED TVs are currently rare and exorbitantly expensive, so unless you have a fair bit of cash, you’ll be looking at an LED 8K TV.

Bang & Olufsen and LG are the only manufacturers offering 8K OLED TVs in the US, and even Bang & Olufsen’s 8K TV is based on LG tech. LED 8K TVs, on the other hand, are far more common and come from a variety of TV makers. LED TVs overall have less risk of burn-in and other issues OLED has, as well.

How-To Geek’s product recommendations come from the same team of experts that have helped people fix their gadgets over one billion times. We only recommend the best products based on our research and expertise. We never accept payment to endorse or review a product. Read More »

Best 8K TV Overall: Samsung QN900C

Click here

Samsung

If you have the budget and want the bleeding edge of television technology, it’s hard to go wrong with Samsung’s QN900C 8K TV . A successor to our previous pick for this category, the QN900C shines in almost every aspect of television viewing.

Thanks to the quantum dot technology , Mini-LED backlighting , and impressive implementation of full-array local dimming , the Samsung 8K TV produces breathtaking visuals with deep blacks and high brightness. The high peak brightness of the TV helps it bring out even the smallest highlights in HDR content. Unfortunately, as the TV doesn’t support Dolby Vision , you will only get to enjoy content in HDR10 , HDR10+ , and HLG formats. That said, any Dolby Vision content will fall back to regular HDR , so it’s not a complete miss.

It also has a wide color gamut and can cover most of the DCI-P3 color space. Plus, the Samsung QN900C has decent viewing angles despite using a VA-style LCD panel, as the company employs its “Ultra Viewing Angle” layer.

As there is little native 8K content, you will be happy to know that the QN900C excels in the upscaling department. So, the lower-resolution content is appropriately upscaled, and the resulting image is sharp, clear, and full of detail.

Tizen OS powers the smart TV functions, and it’s easy to use with a solid selection of apps, including popular streaming services.

The TV also looks great, has a good build quality, and its center stand takes up little space. Samsung ships the QN900C with a One Connect box, which has all the I/O ports, so you can have a cleaner setup by hiding the One Connect box in a cabinet.

Best 8K TV Overall

Samsung QN900C

The Samsung QN900C is a fantastic 8K TV with impressive visuals, a solid smart TV operating system, and excellent upscaling capabilities.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Samsung See at B&H Photo Video

Best 8K TV for Gaming: Samsung QN900C

Samsung

Besides being our best overall pick, the Samsung QN900C is the best 8K TV for gaming. It delivers a fantastic visual experience and has all the necessary components for a top-notch gaming TV. For example, it has a native 144Hz panel for high refresh rate gaming and supports VRR technologies from AMD , HDMI Forum , and NVIDIA . You also get low input lag for a responsive gaming experience and fast response time for superior motion handling.

There are four HDMI 2.1 ports on the One Connect box, including one that doubles as an eARC port. So you will have no trouble connecting one or more of your consoles or gaming PCs. HDMI 2.1 also enables the TV to support a 4K 120Hz or 8K 60Hz signal.

Another highlight is that you can enjoy HDR gaming as the TV supports HDR10 and HDR10+. The TV also comes with Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which offers native access to popular cloud gaming services, such as Amazon Luna , NVIDIA GeForce Now , and Xbox Cloud Gaming , as well as several nifty gaming-related enhancements. Plus, Samsung’s excellent upscaling technology will ensure your games look great on the TV’s 8K screen.

Unfortunately, you don’t get Dolby Vision support on the QN900C. The TV also can’t display a 1440p signal at 144Hz and has trouble with the 4K 144Hz signal coming from NVIDIA graphics cards. The rest of the resolutions and frame rates work as intended.

You can buy the Samsung QN900C in 65-inch , 75-inch , and 85-inch sizes.

Best 8K TV for Gaming

Samsung QN900C

The QN900C from Samsung packs everything you want from a top-notch gaming TV. It has a native 144Hz refresh rate, support for VRR, and a low input lag.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Samsung See at B&H Photo Video

Best OLED 8K TV: LG Z2

LG

Your 8K OLED options are pretty much limited to LG. If you want the perfect blacks with a near-infinite contrast ratio, your best bet is the LG Z2 . It’s the top-of-the-line television in the company’s lineup and comes with all the bells and whistles you can expect. But obviously, its OLED panel is the main highlight, enabling the television to produce jaw-dropping visuals and offer excellent viewing angles.

Given the lack of 8K content, you’ll also be happy to know that the Z2’s Alpha 9 Gen 5 8K processor upscales lower-resolution content well. All your DVDs and Blu-rays will look good on this gorgeous screen.

Plus, the TV has a minimalist and clean design. And thanks to a uniform rear panel, it hangs neatly on a wall. But if you prefer a table-mount look, feet are included in the box.

In other features, webOS handles the software duties, like other LG TVs, and it’s relatively easy to use and offers access to all popular apps, including streaming services.

LG has also kept the gamers in mind while building the Z2, and it comes with a native 120Hz refresh rate to enable high refresh rate gaming, ALLM for automatic enabling of the game mode, and VRR support.

Finally, the HDR performance of the Z2 is excellent, and there is support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 formats.

You can buy the Z2 in 77-inch and 88-inch sizes. However, the 77-inch model is significantly more affordable than the 88-inch model, the latter of which being at an eye-watering $25,000.

Best OLED 8K TV

LG Z2

Get OLED’s trademark fantastic picture quality in 8K with LG’s Z2. It may be prohibitively expensive, but it excels in everything it does.

$7997 at Amazon

FAQ

What Is 8K?

8K refers to the 7680x4320 pixels display resolution. It’s the successor to 4K and has four times the total pixels.

What Is the Difference Between a 4K and an 8K TV?

4K and 8K TV have different display resolutions. While 4K TVs come with 3840x2160p resolution, the 8K TVs have 7680x4320p resolution. The higher resolution means 8K TVs offer crisper and even more high-quality pictures.

Which Streaming Services Support 8K?

Unfortunately, as of December 2022, no mainstream streaming service supports 8K. You can find some 8K videos on Vimeo or YouTube , but the likes of Netflix, Disney+, or HBO Max are yet to jump on the 8K bandwagon. Amazon Prime Video has joined the 8K Association, an organization responsible for promoting 8K, but the service hasn’t said anything about rolling out 8K content.

Are 8K TVs Worth Buying?

It depends on whether you want a TV with the best available technology to remain futureproof or are looking to enjoy 8K content. As there is hardly any 8K content, and you’ll mostly be watching upscaled 4K, 1080p, or HD stuff, there is no reason to go for an 8K TV for content . But if you have the budget, 8K TVs are excellent for enjoying the latest and greatest of TV technology.

Which Size TV Is Best for 8K?

Televisions with a 65-inch display size or more are typically best suited for 8K resolution, as you won’t notice any difference between a 4K TV and an 8K TV at sizes lower than 65 inches.

Also read: