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Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
You Asked: Big OLED vs. Huge Mini-LED? Your WWDC 2025 Questions Answered!
On today's episode of You Asked: Should you pick the LG G4 or Sony Bravia 9 for a bright room? What were some of the biggest takeaways from Apple's jam-packed WWDC event? And one more fun debate: go with an 83-inch OLED or a 98-inch Mini LED TV? Sony Bravia 9 vs. LG G4: Best for bright rooms? @eskenor asks: Would you recommend the Sony Bravia 9 or LG G4 for a room with a decent amount of sunlight? That's a tough one. On one hand, the LG G4 is tremendous — one of the best TVs in the last two years and pretty close to perfect. But so is the Sony Bravia 9, which is about as good as it gets for a Mini LED TV, though it's not OLED. In most side-by-side comparisons, I'd say go with the LG for all the things OLED is known for: rich, pure color and unbeatable contrast. We tested its handling of glare and reflections pretty extensively when we compared it to the Samsung S95D and its glare-free panel. And yes, with a lot of light, you will get some unwanted reflections on the screen. Shining an LED studio light directly at the TV is extreme, but you get the point. Since the Sony is the brighter TV, the biggest difference will be in viewing HDR content in a bright room. The Bravia 9 can really push the highlights so they stand out, even with lots of ambient light. So that would be my pick between those two. However, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't mention the Samsung S95D OLED as another option. We did a full video comparing it to the G4 in a well-lit room. Also, this year Samsung's QN90F, their top 4K Mini LED TV, has that same glare-free panel as the S95D. So you get the added brightness of Mini LED plus extra help for bright rooms. Big OLED vs. bigger mini-LED? @jnewbold asks: I currently have the C4 77-inch and love it, but I'm moving to a bigger place next year. Would you get an 83-inch C4 or a 98-inch QM8 for dark room 4K Blu-ray watching? I've been with OLED for a long time, but big is nice. I certainly agree — big is nice. And once you go big, it's hard to go back. But I'd say the same for OLED viewing. If you were coming from an average LED TV or even a Mini LED TV, I'd have no problem recommending the bigger 98-inch QM8. It's a phenomenal TV that gets better every year. It's great for bright rooms and sports, HDR looks great, and obviously, it's fun to watch movies and shows on a screen that size. I'm hyping it up so you don't think I'm about to dismiss a TV I'd love to own. In fact, we did almost this exact test last year: a 65-inch Sony A95L QD-OLED against a 98-inch TCL QM8. The takeaway was that bigger was more fun, at least from one perspective. But that was a difference of 33 inches — a huge size jump you can't ignore. If it's an 83-inch C4 next to the QM8, that's a tougher call. Given how much you've enjoyed OLED, I'd hate to see you step backward in image quality. Not to mention, dark room 4K Blu-ray viewing and OLED is a match made in home theater heaven. If you've invested in top-quality physical media, don't skimp on picture quality. Stick with the OLED and don't worry about the extra 15 inches — you probably won't miss it at all. WWDC Gareth Beavis, editorial director for Digital Trends is here to discuss WWDC 2025, what's happened this week, and the big changes to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and a whole visual transformation across Apple's suite of operating systems. Liquid Glass Display: Love it or hate it? Number one is from Doyen Liriano, talking about iOS 26. The main change here is the new liquid glass display. For you conspiracy theorists out there: if anyone remembers 2010, Apple got an exclusive license for a new material called Liquid Metal, which was supposed to be revolutionary and more scratch resistant. It was used in golf clubs and was meant to elevate the way devices were made. It ended up being used just for the old SIM ejector tool, and that was about it. So I thought, is this finally the day it happens? But no — liquid glass is very different. It's quite a divisive change, so let's dive in and see what people thought. Dorian Liriano said on Instagram: This change doesn't seem major or impressive. I'm going to search for additional context because I'm either missing something or Apple is taking us for a ride. Jake Kamin said: To me I don't see it as groundbreaking as iOS 7. That was a completely new look from iOS 6, from skeumorphic to neumorphic. This is more or less the same just with a 'glassy' look. A neumorphic redesign but foundationally the same. Am I alone with this? I went along with this. Liquid glass is, basically as Jake says, quite similar to elements from iOS 17 and 18. When he talks about the jump from iOS 6 to 7, we saw a move from skeuomorphic design — making things look like real-world objects, like a notebook you could open with a ring binder — to a more flat, minimalist look. A digital notebook felt digital, not like a physical notebook in a digital world. So yes, there are changes to how things look. You've got clear mode alongside dark and light modes. Icons can be see-through on Mac. Some menus are translucent. In Safari, everything at the bottom is more rounded and things fade in. The dynamic island we saw on the iPhone 15 Pro Max shows how things shift and switch in context. That same mentality is at play here, with lots more dynamism. Another noticeable change is that the clock on the lock screen now extends up and down depending on the picture you choose. The phone is more context-aware, making your wallpaper feel more personal and fitting with your own edits. While these things aren't groundbreaking, they do refresh the look of your iPhone — which has been needed for quite some time, as Apple has run with the same software design for years. There have been some fun comments too. @abdul_basit_tahir said: They made Windows Vista? Can't argue with that — it does look a lot like the Windows Aero theme from Vista. @henshin587 said: I like this liquid glass style. I appreciate moving away from pure minimalism and adding visual flair, like highlights and subtle distortions in menus and icons. Very true. It does look different and gives the OS a new refresh. Yes, it echoes Microsoft's early 2000s style, but it still feels ripe for a redesign and helps unify the visual identity across devices. No, it's good. I think these are true quality-of-life changes. They're not massive. I do think we could do a little bit better from Apple, maybe with iOS 27, which I like. Then we'll see something a bit different because we do need to see a lot more from Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence: Where's the AI? Now let's jump on to that very quickly, because what's been amazing is Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak have been interviewed. We've seen a lot of different outlets have had a chance to interview them and ask them about the delays to Apple Intelligence, and the changes to Siri that got the charm offensive going. This tells me one thing: they need to get the message out that Apple is not creating a chatbot. They said it last year and reiterated very strongly this year. When people think about AI, artificial intelligence, they think about ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity. The ability to chat to something and get feedback feels like what Siri should be. So the idea of an upgraded Siri feels like it should have been here by now. Apple was very clear: they don't want a chatbot. They want the phone to use generative AI to do things better for you. It's kind of doing that now. In my view, the way Google has integrated Gemini is very similar to how Apple has done Apple Intelligence so far. You've got things like visual intelligence, being able to see what's on screen and tell you more about it. Apple has done that again and upgraded it. It is using ChatGPT though, so people are asking: where's your own generative AI? Craig Federighi was very clear, saying they had version one and version two of this. Running version two is the deeper idea they want people to use. But version one is the one they've got working and pushed — and it's just not performing to the level they want. So they have to wait for version two, which is why there's a delay. They realized they had to pivot and are asking people to wait. Consumers won't wait for very long. If you look at Gemini on Pixel phones, it's not massive. You can use the Photos app, erase people, change things a bit. The image generators on device are very good on the Google Pixel, for instance, but not so great in the Image Playground. It's fine — it doesn't always work very well. Things like Genmoji in the new iOS 26, merging two emoji into one, haven't really won me over yet. It would take quite a big upgrade for me to feel like this is a good reason to use Apple Intelligence or buy the phone for that alone. There's nothing really there that compels me. Still, there are a few changes that I think will attract some people. But overall, Apple has a long way to go until the day you can hold down the Siri button and have a genuine experience like you can with ChatGPT. I don't think we're going to get that same level of excitement yet. Apple has said 2026 for Apple Intelligence. Let's see if it can hold that, because any later and it might fall too far behind in the race for having a smart device. We don't know what's going to happen with Jony Ive and OpenAI and this new AI device. It could be the next level of smartphone or something else entirely. If Apple is lagging in that race, we'll have to see what happens. Mac vs iPad: The blurred line So that brings me to the final thing I wanted to talk about: iPadOS 26. This is something we were very excited about and for good reason. Whereas iOS 26 is mostly visual flourishes and a few tweaks under the hood — nothing massive, if I'm honest — iPadOS 26 does seem to change things. It's blurring the line between macOS and iPadOS even more than before. When the iPhone first came out and started to have computing functions, people asked: is this replacing the Mac? Incredibly, Greg Joswiak said today, in response to the question 'How do people decide between buying a Mac or an iPad right now?' — without a hint of irony — that they should buy both. I'm not sure that's entirely true, especially with the cost-of-living crisis right now. Spending thousands of dollars on multiple devices that are becoming increasingly similar isn't realistic for everyone. With the new iPadOS 26, you can do so much more. You can resize windows, stack them on top of each other, lock them into thirds or halves of the screen, so it works much more like a computer. One of our writers did an amazing piece with first impressions of the beta, and his takeaway was this: would it be something that his mother or sister, who are light iPad users and don't have a separate computer, could actually use for real computing? His answer was yes, he thinks it will let them do proper computing on the go, which is what people wanted the iPad to do in the first place. I can see why it's happening now. Screens are bigger, resolutions are higher, and the power under the hood matches that of Macs. That's been true for a while, but now you can actually use it more like a Mac. Launch Date & Beta Details Finally, to answer the last two questions: what's the launch date and when are CarPlay and iPad updates coming? We don't know the exact launch date, but it's a safe bet that the new iOS will roll out alongside the new iPhones, which is almost always mid-September. So we can confidently say iOS will arrive around then, and the iPadOS update should come at the same time. CarPlay updates will come with iOS too. Also, public betas should be available soon, probably in the next month or so. Developer betas are out now, but I'd strongly recommend caution. Unless you have a spare device or you're fine with bugs, wait for the public beta. It'll be more stable and polished.
Android Authority
5 days ago
- Android Authority
This decade-old LG phone sparked my love for photography — then it died
It was a balmy September evening in 2016, and my friends and I thought it the perfect evening for a night-time hike up Cape Town's popular Lion's Head. Placed right in the city's center, the panoramic views from the peak would no doubt be spectacular, and we had our bags packed full of liquid nourishment for when we reached the top. Two hours later, we got to the summit, and with the city's sprawling lights glimmering through the still air below us, I spied the perfect photo opportunity. So, I grabbed my little Joby tripod, mounted my phone to it, set the exposure to 15 seconds, its ISO to its lowest possible value, and waited. The resultant shot remains one of my favorites I've ever captured. That phone was the LG G4. Do you miss LG smartphones? 0 votes Yes. NaN % No. NaN % I'm no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses. After all, nostalgia is one hell of a drug. The best Android phones have come a long way since then, improving almost every facet. I could (probably) capture that same shot with modern devices without too much fuss. However, looking past its problems, the LG G4 was the phone that sparked my interest in photography. The smartphone that captured many memories, and my heart On the specs front, the G4 wasn't really anything special. Sure, it's 16MP sensor and 28mm lens, OIS system, and laser autofocus made it incredibly reliable and versatile. I remember snapping portraits, landscapes, macros, and street scenes without any issue. But the camera phone's real strength was its manual mode. The shot I mentioned in the intro was captured manually. In fact, I had a real contempt for the LG G4's automatic mode. It regularly selected the wrong settings and focused on the wrong subject. With manual mode, I could finely adjust focus, choose my exposure and ISO, getting me the shot I wanted. Looking back, I realize this phone helped me get to grips with DSLR photography years later. And it wasn't just this shot that stands out in my mind. Manual focus made it easy to capture the tiniest subjects, from bees to the flowers they visited, to bokeh of raindrops on a pane of glass. I'm no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses, but the LG G4 is the reason for my current love for photography. Beyond its software, part of my love for this phone lies in its smart ergonomic design. Yes, while it was pretty utilitarian with those customary 2016-era bezels, the 5.5-inch QHD screen was deep and vivid, making it the perfect viewfinder and canvas for my shots. While stylish, the phone's curved leather back also made the phone grippy and inspired confidence when framing a shot. It was never at risk of simply slipping out of my hand like my caseless Pixel 8 is prone to do. And, not to mention the other facets of this phone that I loved: the removable battery, its 3.5mm headphone jack with great bundled earbuds, its rear volume and power buttons, and its microSD card slot. The death of my G4 and start of LG's bigger problems But, just as we had to eventually make our way down the mountain, all good things come to an end. For the LG G4, this was for me at an airport just before a long flight home. Mere months after I started it up for the first time, the phone's tendency to overheat eventually morphed into a flat-out bootloop. Struggling to bring it back to life, I'd wait a few minutes, reboot it, desperately use it for a few moments until it overheated, then repeat the cycle. Thankfully, I printed out my boarding passes back then; otherwise, I'm unsure how I would've navigated that situation. My LG G4 issues started at an airport, just prior to a long flight home. I was not amused. When I landed (and calling my lift was made complicated thanks to my ailing LG), I got to the drawing board and tried almost everything to revive it. Screwing it apart and separating the phone from its motherboard, I trained a hairdryer on the chipset, tossed it in the freezer, and even considered baking it in the oven. I chickened out of the latter, but there was little hope regardless. My LG G4 was dead and so was one of the most enjoyable and memorable smartphones I've ever used. To me, the G4's issues perfectly encapsulate the Korean brand's smartphone tenure. Its quirky devices were remarkably affable, filled with personality, and supported by capable, if not impressive, hardware and refined software. But look a little bit deeper and use them for an extended period, and their similarly quirky flaws will rise to the surface — dramatic highs and depressing lows. The bootloop problem persisted across several LG-branded and manufactured smartphones, including the G4's cousin, the V10, the Nexus 5X, the V20, and even the LG G5. All of these smartphones experienced similar hitches to one degree or another. While LG would go on to launch several newer phones that would skirt this issue, the damage was done. While LG hasn't been a smartphone company since 2011, it will finally turn off its update servers at the end of this month, rendering all its devices marooned on older Android versions. This was bound to happen at some point. After all, its most recent phones were launched five years ago now. It's still a sad eventuality. As for my LG G4, I haven't seen it in years. It's sitting in a box somewhere in my parents' home, functionally dead and likely to stay that way. However, my enjoyment of photography has grown to include other devices. My old but trusty Kodak KB10 film camera, my humble Nikon D3400, and even the Nokia 9 PureView that I've written about before continue building my love for capturing moments. I have the LG G4 to thank for that.
Tom's Guide
18-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
LG G4 vs Samsung S95F: Which flagship OLED TV is worth the money?
The G4 is one of the best OLED TVs LG has ever made, and because it debuted in 2024, it's now heavily discounted. With incredible QD-OLED performance and ample features, the Samsung S95F is sure to be one of the year's best TVs. It's brand new, though, so it costs more than the LG G4. When folks come to me and ask for advice about buying a top-shelf TV, I always start with the same question: 'How important is it for you to buy a brand-new TV?' It's tempting to break the bank on one of the year's best TVs, but for many people, saving money on a year-old model is a far better option. Take this year, for instance. When all's said and done, the newly released Samsung S95F is sure to be one of the best OLED TVs of 2025. But right now, the 2024 LG G4 OLED is every bit as good as it was when it debuted. Critically, it's also way less expensive than the newer S95F. If you're stuck between the two, fear not: I've spent a ton of time testing and watching both of these flagship OLED TVs, and I'm here to break down all of their similarities and differences. LG G4 Samsung S95F Sizes 55", 65", 77", 83", 97" 55", 65", 77", 83" Ports 4x HDMI 2.1 4x HDMI 2.1 Resolution 3,840 x 2,160p 3,840 x 2,160p HDR Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Smart TV software webOS Tizen OS ATSC 3.0 support? No No Processor a11 AI Processor 4K NQ4 AI Gen3 When their specs are compared side by side, it's easy to see that these two OLEDs have a lot in common. Both the G4 and the S95F come in 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch models (though the G4 is also available in a mind-blowingly big 97-inch version). Additionally, each model offers a full suite of four high-bandwidth, HDMI 2.1-compatible ports. This makes them perfect for dedicated gamers and A/V enthusiasts. One important distinction lies with their respective HDR support. Like all Samsung TVs currently on the market, the S95F does not support Dolby Vision, a popular, proprietary HDR format. Instead, Samsung offers HDR10+, a royalty-free version of the format that works in a similar way. You'll still be able to watch Dolby Vision streaming titles and Blu-ray discs on the S95F, but the picture will fall back to standard HDR10. In other words, the S95F won't be taking full advantage of Dolby Vision's efforts to replicate the creator's intent. Like all LG OLEDs, the G4 supports Dolby Vision (though it leaves off HDR10+ support). For most people, Dolby Vision is the better format to have on hand, as it remains the most popular. To learn more about Dolby Vision, check out our guide to whether or not you need Dolby Vision at all. Both TVs make use of a pedestal-style stand rather than a pair of feet. Fortunately, each stand design offers enough headroom for a dedicated soundbar. Thanks to the sleek nature of OLED display technology, both the G4 and the S95F showcase wildly thin panels. Of the two, however, the S95F is a touch thinner. The biggest difference between their designs involves their inputs. The G4 houses all of its connectivity options in an L-shaped cutout on the pack of the panel. The S95F leverages Samsung's One Connect Box, which connects to the panel with a single cable and can be placed anywhere within the TV's surrounding area. Your mileage may vary, but I appreciate the S95F's added flexibility. If you have a particular home theater setup that would benefit from the One Connect Box, the S95F will treat you well. When it comes to remote controls, things aren't as cut and dry. I absolutely adore the Samsung Solar Cell remote, which charges an internal lithium-ion battery by way of indoor and outdoor lighting. It's very convenient. However, the super-slim Solar Cell remote doesn't feature a dedicated input button, and I find that to be a bit of a headache when it comes to changing inputs on the fly. The G4 is paired with last-year's version of LG's Magic Remote. Conveniently, it does feature an input-selection button, but it's also large and not nearly as convenient as the Solar Cell remote. Each of these TVs will look great on the wall or on top of a credenza, but on the whole, the S95F is a better-designed TV. Winner: Samsung S95F Before we dive into which of these TVs delivers better overall performance, let's take a look at how their test results stack up in a side-by-side comparison. LG G4 Samsung S95F SDR Brightness (10%, in nits) 358 267 Delta-E (lower is better) 1.4 1.2 HDR Brightness (10%, in nits) 1,487 2,138 UHDA-P3 Gamut Coverage 97.17% 99.97% Rec. 2020 Gamut Coverage 72.91% 90.26% Input latency (milliseconds) 9.2 9.2 While both of these TVs benefit from the perfect black levels and pixel-level dimming that we've come to expect from OLED displays, the S95F is significantly brighter than the G4 when it comes to HDR content. In a nutshell, this means that specular highlights (small, concentrated areas of brightness) will pop more on the S95F. And, when you're dealing with the self-emissive nature of OLED displays, this pop will go a long way towards the picture looking more realistic. While watching SDR content (like basic cable and most streaming content), the G4 provides a brighter overall picture. That said, it's not significantly brighter under these circumstances, so you can probably set that aside for now. The S95F offers some of the best color we're likely to see in 2025. Here's some good news: Each of these TVs arrives with incredible out-of-the-box accuracy in their respective Filmmaker modes. You probably won't feel compelled to calibrate them professionally, which will save you money. However, when it comes to color volume, the S95F is far and away the better competitor. You can see this reflected in their Rec.2020 color gamut results. In fact, the S95F offers some of the best color we're likely to see in 2025 — it's that good. This mostly has to do with the fact that the S95F is equipped with quantum dots, which allow for brighter, purer color than what the G4's WOLED display is capable of. Both of these OLED TVs deliver an accurate, jaw-dropping picture, particularly in HDR. If you're chasing the best possible picture, though, the S95F is the better pick. Its superior highlight brightness and next-level color volume make for a truly immersive experience. Winner: Samsung S95F Neither LG's webOS or Samsung's Tizen OS are my smart platform of choice, but they'll get you through your day if you opt to use them on a regular basis. I find the S95F's user interface to be more cluttered than the G4's, but both software suites are fine for most people. On the gaming side of things, there aren't very many specs separating the two. As mentioned, each TV offers four HDMI 2.1 inputs, and both support Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), G-Sync compatibility and a variation of AMD's FreeSync. However, if you want to leverage one of these OLEDs as a monitor for high-end PC gaming, the S95F's native refresh rate of 165Hz is slightly better than the G4's 144Hz. Both can handle the 4K/120Hz cap of current-generation consoles like the Xbox Series X and the PS5 Pro. The most noteworthy missing feature on the S95F is, of course, Dolby Vision. I imagine that most folks shopping in the top-shelf price bracket have already made peace with Samsung's decision not to back Dolby Vision HDR. Still, it's a significant blow to A/V enthusiasts who'd like to put together a complete home theater setup. In fact, I'd wager that the S95F's lack of Dolby Vision will ultimately matter to more people than the various AI-based features that S95F exclusively claims. Were it not for a lack of Dolby Vision, this category would come down to a draw. Instead, the LG G4 has the edge when it comes to features. Winner: LG G4 LG G4 Samsung S95F Specs (25) 24 24 Design (25) 21 23 Performance (25) 24 25 Features (25) 24 23 Total Score (100) 93 95 One glance at the scorecard and the closeness of this match-up is clear. But one factor we haven't considered yet is maybe the most important of all: price. After spending countless hours with each of these TVs, I'm confident in saying the Samsung S95F is the better overall performer. Its quantum dot-enhanced color, together with its sensational HDR highlight brightness, make for a sensational visual spectacle. But there's no running away from its price. Right now, the 65-inch Samsung S95F is $3,299, and unfortunately, this is too rich for the vast majority of shoppers. This is where my shop-for-a-year-old TV advice comes into play. By comparison, the 65-inch LG G4 is just $2,000 right now. A TV that's just about as good as the S95F for $1,300 less feels like a pretty killer deal to me. (Plus, you'll land Dolby Vision support, if that matters to you.) If you're looking to splash out on one of the best TVs money can buy and you don't mind dropping $3,000 or more for the privilege, the Samsung S95F is a slam-dunk choice. It's eye-wateringly expensive, but it looks incredible and it's stuffed with features for gaming and beyond. Of course, if you're set on the Samsung, maybe wait a year.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We gave 4.5 out of 5 stars to the LG G4 OLED, and today it's $200 off
This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, Digital Trends and Yahoo Inc. may earn a commission. When it comes to LG OLED TVs, you can basically close your eyes and choose any model the company makes, and you'll be in for a treat. But if you want the absolute best OLED LG has made in the last couple of years, look no further than the LG G4 Series. Designed to sit flush against the wall when using LG's provided slim wall mount, this premium TV has swept awards from numerous publications, including right here at Digital Trends! And right now, when you purchase the LG 65-inch G4 Series 4K OLED at Amazon, Best Buy, LG, and a handful of other retailers, you'll only end up paying $2,400. The full MSRP on this model is $2,600. BUY AT LG BUY AT AMAZON BUY AT BEST BUY When we tested the LG G4 Series back in May 2024, editor at large Caleb Denison said, 'The LG G4 is a triumph of modern television engineering.' Honestly, we can't think of better words to describe the kind of arresting colors and perfect contrast levels you'll get from the LG G4. But you'll also be treated to exceptional SDR brightness levels that allow the TV to perform well even in brightly lit rooms. That's on top of fast response time, minimal input lag, and HDMI 2.1 connectivity, which also makes the LG G4 Series an excellent choice for gamers. LG's picture processing and 4K upscaling also do a phenomenal job of making everything from modern HDR films to your old DVD collection look great! Apps and casting are made possible by LG's webOS 24, which even gives you access to hundreds of live free TV channels. Score the LG 65-inch G4 Series 4K OLED for $200 less when you purchase today. We also suggest looking through our roundups of the best LG TV deals, best OLED TV deals, and best TV deals for even more savings on top LG TVs! BUY AT LG BUY AT AMAZON BUY AT BEST BUY
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
I review TVs for a living, and here are the 3 best TVs you can buy today
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One big benefit to being a full-time TV reviewer is hands-on experience with all the best TVs. That level of access, of course, helps immensely when gauging the performance level and feature set of top models from the most established brands, but also sets a benchmark for evaluating all manner of TVs, from mid-range to budget models. Of the 30-plus TVs TechRadar reviewed in 2024, three stood out and captured my attention. Not surprisingly, these three were flagship models for their respective brands and, also not surprisingly, they are priced above what most people would consider paying for a TV. What did come as a surprise? A mini-LED model made my top three list. In the past, any list of top TVs would be dominated by the best OLED TVs, mainly because of their ability to reliably deliver pictures with infinite contrast, detailed shadows, and rich, eye-catching color. But today's best mini-LED TVs are catching up with OLED TVs on those picture quality fronts, and they additionally provide high brightness, making them a great option for not only movies and gaming but also daytime sports viewing. I've been impressed by the mini-LED TVs I've tested over the years, and have even given some of them five-star picture quality ratings. But of all those TVs, the Sony Bravia 9 is the first mini-LED model I've reviewed that approached OLED-like performance when it came to rendering shadows in dark movie scenes, and its picture was virtually free of any backlight 'blooming' effects. Having lived with Bravia 9 for a few weeks while testing it, I can honestly say I admired its picture as much as the other two models in this list, the Samsung S95D and LG G4 OLED TVs. Sony created something of a stir when it announced it would switch from OLED to mini-LED for its only new flagship TV in 2024. But in initial demonstrations of the Bravia 9, the company made an effective case for the new XR Backlight Master Drive with High Peak Luminance tech, which uses a highly miniaturized 22-bit LED driver (other TVs typically use 10- or 12-bit drivers) for enhanced local dimming – something also helped by a 325% increase in local dimming zones over Sony's previous top mini-LED TV. What does this mean for you? A screen that's brighter for stunning colors and HDR, but with the super-cinematic dark tones and contrast of OLED. I measured the peak HDR brightness at 2,280 nits (in Standard mode), meaning the Bravia 9 is capable of rendering the full range of highlight detail in movies with high dynamic range, and its ability to also display detailed shadows is second to none for a mini-LED TV. I was also impressed with the X-Wide Angle feature that ensures pictures look uniformly good over a wide viewing arc, so it doesn't matter if you're sitting way off center. On top of that, there's a 2.2.2-channel, 70-watt speaker system with 'Frame' tweeters positioned in the sides of the TV's frame and 'Beam' tweeters located at the top for audio performance that's as good as basically any TV I've heard, meaning the Bravia 9 qualifies as a complete premium TV package, as I said in my full Sony Bravia 9 review. Samsung's top OLED TV made its mark as the brightest OLED TV we've ever measured, thanks to a QD-OLED panel working in tandem with clever AI processing that optimizes HDR handling plus detail and color enhancement. It also uses the company's Glare Free tech to virtually eliminate screen reflections in bright rooms – a traditional pain point for OLED TVs due to their limited fullscreen brightness compared to LED models. Sick of seeing mirror-like image of yourself or windows on your TV? Thanks to a matte screen here, you literally can't – we were so impressed by the difference in our full Samsung S95D review. Our review praised the bright and rich colors, the very impressive texture and lifelike realism to images, and the supreme contrast that OLED TVs are known for – having seen it in person, I can attest to all this. The Samsung S95D was our pick for best TV in the TechRadar Choice Awards 2024 mainly owing to its fantastic overall picture quality. But that's not all you get with Samsung's flagship OLED TV. Its 4.2.2-channel, 70W built-in speakers deliver immersive, yet precise sound with powerful bass. It also has a slim, elegant design with an external One Connect Box handling all inputs to the TV, meaning that only a single cable goes into the screen itself, so it's very tidy. The box can be hidden away somewhere else. It also an unbeatable set of gaming features, including four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support and Samsung's Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming. The LG G4 is the company's brightest OLED TV yet, an advancement made possible by a new generation of LG's OLED evo display panel with Micro Lens Array (MLA) tech, which uses microscopic lens elements to enhance picture brightness. Not only does this panel design boost brightness, but colors are also elevated with a more robust, detailed look, which gives the G4 a notable picture quality edge over the also impressive LG C4 OLED TV. Our brightness measurements for the G4 weren't as high as the S95D above, but in our full LG G4 review, we noted that this doesn't really matter so much in practice. We found that it delivers a beautiful and well-layered image, with super-accurate colors out of the box, and we said it's a "a master at picking out detail in darker areas of an image", which is exactly what you want from a cinematic OLED screen. The G4's exceptionally slim design makes it a perfect choice for wall mounting, and there's a custom bracket that means it sits totally flush to the wall. It also comes with a table stand for the 55- and 65-inch models. LG's flagship OLED TV is packed with gaming features, including 4K 120Hz (and up to 144Hz for PC gaming) across all four HDMI 2.1 ports, along with 4K 120Hz Dolby Vision gaming. Despite its slim frame, the G4 also has strong onboard sound, with a 4.2-channel speaker system and an AI Sound Pro mode that upmixes audio to 11.1.2-channel virtual surround sound – though other two TVs I've picked here offer better built-in sound overall. Obviously, my picks here are all pretty high-end – but it's the expensive stuff that tends to be the best, naturally! If you want something more mid-range, I can strongly recommend the Hisense U8N mini-LED TV, or the TCL QM851G mini-LED TV for US buyers. At the more budget end, we rate the Hisense U7N mini-LED TV, or I also highly recommend the Roku Pro Series mini-LED TV. The best TVs for gaming The best TVs for sport The best TVs for sound
