Different TV technologies are available at the consumer level, each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. One of these technologies is the quantum dot layer, which is included in some TVs to ensure a wide color gamut. While some manufacturers achieve wide color gamuts on their TVs without using quantum dots, the ‘QLED’ branding, which Samsung has been using for their quantum dot TVs since 2017, is a clear indicator of great colors. Although QLED has been primarily associated with Samsung, other manufacturers such as Vizio, LG, Hisense, Sony, and TCL also produce quantum dot technology TVs under different names. You can find out more about the differences between LED and QLED technology here.
While most 2024 models have already been released, they are generally not worth purchasing in the first few months as they are significantly more expensive than the previous year’s models. However, their prices do eventually drop. Additionally, the prices of last year’s models tend to decrease to their lowest point after the release of new models. You can learn more about price fluctuations in our article on when to buy a TV.
Best QLED TVs Reviews
1. Sony BRAVIA 9
The Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED stands out as the top QLED TV we have reviewed. It excels in bright rooms thanks to its impressive SDR brightness and reflection handling, effectively combating glare in well-lit environments. In dark rooms, the TV delivers a stunning visual experience with outstanding contrast, deep blacks, and precise local dimming that showcases bright highlights in dark scenes without blooming. Known for its exceptional image processing, accuracy in SDR and HDR, as well as support for Dolby Vision HDR and DTS audio formats, this TV is an excellent choice for home theaters. While its viewing angle surpasses many QLED TVs, it remains limited, making it less ideal for group viewings.
Moreover, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED is a top-tier gaming TV with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports, supporting up to 4k @ 120Hz and VRR. This level of compatibility extends to the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5, making it a great match for gaming enthusiasts. Its low input lag and quick response time ensure a responsive gaming experience with minimal motion blur. Additionally, the TV boasts built-in speakers, a feature not commonly found in modern TVs. Available in 65, 75, and 85-inch models, it caters to those seeking larger screens. Despite its high price, the BRAVIA 9 remains the premier QLED TV in the current market. If the BRAVIA 9 is beyond your budget, Sony offers alternative models that still deliver impressive performance, albeit with slightly less deep blacks than the flagship model.
The TV’s remarkable contrast produces deep blacks in dark settings, maintaining their depth even when bright highlights are present on the screen. HDR content showcases vivid highlights thanks to the TV’s impressive brightness. The colors are rich, realistic, and vivid due to the TV’s wide color range and exceptional color accuracy, resulting in a captivating HDR viewing experience. With the removal of 24p judder, there is no need for frequent adjustments to enjoy a smooth viewing experience. Additionally, the TV boasts outstanding SDR pre-calibration accuracy, eliminating the need for calibration if preserving the content creator’s vision is important to you.
2. Samsung S90C
Despite not being classified as a QLED TV, it is essential to highlight the Samsung S90C OLED in this list. Unlike the rest of the TVs featured here that utilize an LED backlight with a quantum dot layer for a broader color range, the S90C employs an OLED backplane and a printed quantum dot color layer across all its models, except for the 83-inch size equipped with WOLED. This unique combination leads to superior color volume compared to WOLED displays, along with richer, more consistent blacks than the QLED TVs using LED backlights.
Regrettably, its subpar content smoothing capabilities do not match up to Sony’s standards, and it lacks support for Dolby Vision HDR or advanced DTS audio formats, which may not appeal as much to home theater enthusiasts. However, it boasts a significantly wider viewing angle compared to Sony, making it the ideal choice for those with a spacious seating arrangement. Similar to Sony, it incorporates VRR technology to reduce tearing in games and can handle up to 4k @ 144Hz across all four HDMI ports . With near-instantaneous response time and lower input lag than Sony, it is a superior option for competitive gamers.
The TV excels in HDR gradient handling, content smoothing, and HDR brightness, although the enhancements are marginal. Despite its steep price tag upon release, opting for the more affordable S90C while it is still available and discounted is a more sensible decision. It is important to note that Samsung’s 2024 OLED lineup is somewhat perplexing, with the introduction of S90Ds featuring both WOLED and QD-OLED panels, varying by region and size.
The SDR peak brightness is impressive and the reflection handling is outstanding, making it effective in minimizing glare in well-lit environments. The wide viewing angle is truly remarkable, catering to a broad seating area or allowing viewers to move around without compromising image quality. Additionally, it excels in upscaling lower-resolution content and offers a diverse range of streaming apps through its smart interface. However, the content smoothing feature is subpar, resulting in noticeable macro-blocking in low-resolution or low-bitrate TV shows despite effective upscaling.
3. Hisense U8
The Hisense U8/U8K is the top mid-range QLED TV we have tested. It boasts exceptional picture quality and a Mini LED backlight that allows for deep, uniform blacks without noticeable blooming in dark scenes, resulting in stunning HDR movie viewing. The QLED panel offers a wide color gamut and impressive color volume, ensuring bright, vibrant, and realistic colors. Additionally, it excels in reflection handling and peak brightness, making it ideal for well-lit rooms. The U8K outperforms the Samsung S90C OLED in image processing and supports both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+. Furthermore, its advanced DTS audio format support enhances the overall viewing experience regardless of the content source.
This TV is perfect for gaming, featuring HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports for 4k @ 144Hz gaming, support for all VRR technologies, low input lag, and a responsive gaming experience. It is one of the few TVs that can handle Dolby Vision at 4k @ 120Hz, catering to Xbox Series X gamers. However, the narrow viewing angle may not be suitable for wide seating arrangements.
While the U8K offers faster response time, better contrast, and higher brightness levels compared to other models, it may not be as accurate in SDR or HDR content. Additionally, it tends to be pricier upon release. Given that the U8K is already bright and offers good contrast for various room settings, most consumers would benefit from purchasing the more affordable U8K while it is still available and discounted.
The display is exceptionally bright in both HDR and SDR, with excellent reflection handling, making it ideal for bright room settings. Its superb contrast and black uniformity also make it perfect for dark room viewing, and HDR content looks stunning with vibrant highlights. Additionally, it offers top-notch image processing and supports advanced audio and video formats, making it an excellent choice for home entertainment. Furthermore, it excels as a gaming TV, thanks to its outstanding picture quality, low input lag, and good response time. However, its limited viewing angle makes it less suitable for wide seating arrangements, such as watching TV shows or sports with friends.
4. Hisense U7
The Hisense U7N stands out as a top choice in the lower mid-range QLED TV category based on our testing. While it shares a Mini LED backlight with the Hisense U8/U8K, it falls slightly short in terms of brightness and contrast due to fewer dimming zones. Nevertheless, this budget-friendly option boasts a wide color gamut, impressive contrast, and excellent black uniformity, making it ideal for viewing HDR content in a dark environment. Its exceptional reflection handling and HDR peak brightness also make it suitable for well-lit rooms. Despite its limited viewing angle, similar to its pricier counterpart, the Hisense U7N supports Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10+, and advanced DTS audio formats, ensuring a premium viewing experience.
Equipped with the same high-quality image processing as the U8K, the Hisense U7N is a cost-effective choice for home entertainment. The user-friendly Google TV platform offers a plethora of downloadable apps, eliminating the need for an external streaming device. Additionally, this TV boasts a range of gaming features, including VRR support for reduced screen tearing and HDMI 2.1 ports capable of handling up to 4k @ 144Hz. With its faster response time, the Hisense U7N even outperforms the more expensive Hisense U8/U8K in terms of gaming experience.
The TV’s exceptional contrast makes it ideal for dark rooms, while its impressive HDR brightness ensures that highlights pop in HDR content. Additionally, its superb SDR brightness and reflection handling make it suitable for bright rooms as well. With a fast response time that minimizes motion blur, this TV is perfect for sports, gaming, and even as a PC monitor. Its modern gaming features make it a great choice for pairing with current gaming consoles and PCs. However, its narrow viewing angle means it may not be the best option for group settings.
5. TCL QM8
TCL has once again impressed with its range of mini-LED QLED TVs, showcasing that high-end features and quality can be achieved at more affordable prices compared to other top TV brands. The TCL QM8 stands out as a prime example of this, boasting peak brightness levels of 2,500 nits in our tests, making it one of the brightest TVs on the market. Our reviewer was highly impressed with the QM8, going as far as to recommend it as the top choice for the majority of consumers this year.
In addition to delivering bright images ideal for well-lit rooms, the QM8 excels in contrast performance with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HRD10+, and HLG, along with excellent local dimming for solid black levels in darker environments. While OLED displays may offer deeper blacks, the QM8’s mini-LED technology provides exceptional color accuracy, covering 97% of DCI-P3 and approximately 76% of BT.2020 color gamuts.
The TCL QM8 runs on Google TV, ensuring easy setup, access to a wide range of streaming services and apps via the Google Play Store, and built-in Chromecast for seamless mirroring and casting from compatible devices.
Featuring a 120Hz refresh rate, the QM8 delivers smooth motion for fast-paced content, while gamers will appreciate the support for variable refresh rate (VRR), Game Accelerator boosting up to 240Hz, and AMD FreeSync Pro for enhanced gameplay performance.
This gaming TV is exceptional, supporting up to 4k @ 144Hz (with some caveats), and is compatible with every variable refresh rate (VRR) technology for nearly tear-free gaming. Its brightness is outstanding in both SDR and HDR, providing a bright and vibrant display for all games. Additionally, it boasts incredibly low input lag in Game Mode and excellent response time, making it ideal for fast-paced action in games and sports. The HDR content looks stunning on the TCL, with extremely high HDR peak brightness, and excellent contrast for punchy and vivid HDR movies in a dark room. However, the disappointing viewing angle makes it less suitable for watching sports and TV shows with multiple viewers.
Final Word
Our top picks represent what we believe to be the finest quantum dot technology TVs currently available on the market, catering to a variety of preferences. We take into consideration both the price point (opting for a more affordable TV over a pricier one if the disparity is not justifiable) and the product’s availability.
If you prefer to make the decision yourself, you can access our comprehensive list of TV reviews. However, it is advisable not to get too bogged down in the specifics. While no TV is flawless, most TVs offer exceptional quality that will satisfy the majority of users, with discrepancies often only noticeable upon close inspection.
Leave a Reply