4K TVs are at their prime right now, but 8K technology is slowly making its way into our screens. Though manufacturers may be focused on pumping out 4K TVs with only a small trickle of 8K TVs coming alongside them, those 8K displays are a sight to behold. You'll find that the best way to take in that picture quality is to sit close and have a really big screen, and manufacturers haven't failed to build around that second point.
The best 8K TVs are coming in at well over 70 inches, with some even pushing toward 90-inch diagonals. Along with that size, you're also getting some of the best features that TV manufacturers offer. They come packing an insane amount of pixels. You'll see OLED displays that offer a stunning crispness thanks to their unbeatable contrast ratios, and you'll find no lack of HDR support. And if you're a gamer planning to hook up a PS5 or Xbox Series X to see what kind of 8K capabilities those systems have, our picks are ready and waiting.
There may not be a ton of screens packing 8K technology just yet, but we've found a few that could work for you. Just be mentally and financially prepared as these don't come cheap. If your budget isn't substantial, you might also consider some high-end 4K TVs, which shouldn't disappoint unless you're sitting unreasonably close. You can even find good quality from some cheap 4K TVs. But, if you're hooked on 8K and want to be at the forefront of technology, our picks below are the way to go.
TL;DR – These are the Best 8K TVs:
- Samsung 75" Class Neo QLED QN900B Series
- TCL 75" Class 6-Series 8K Mini-LED QLED Smart Roku TV
- LG 75" Class NanoCell 99 Series
- Sony 85" Class Z9J LED 8K UHD Smart Google TV
- LG 86" Class 99 Series QNED 8K Smart NanoCell TV
1. Samsung 75" Class Neo QLED QN900B Series
Best 8K TV
When in search of the best of the best, turning to the latest technology is often a great place to start. For display panels, that's Samsung's Neo QLED technology, which uses Quantum Mini LED backlights. These tiny LEDs can be packed closely together, and more backlights mean more fine-tuned control of local dimming. To put it simply, you get flashy highlights while shadow details remain deep and dark. And, the Samsung 75" Class Neo QLED QN900B Series does a stellar job at putting this technology on display, literally. This massive TV toting virtually invisible bezels offers an 8K resolution to showcase its punchy colors, supreme brightness, and insane clarity.
Samsung puts its Neo QLED tech to good use, especially while you’re enjoying HDR content. You can even enjoy some HDR gaming. Plus, with a 120Hz refresh rate, you can go for speed in games – though you'll have to choose between 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz (144Hz). VRR and ALLM are even baked-in to ensure the smoothest and most enjoyable gameplay possible. And we know 8K is still in its infancy, so it might be a struggle to find 8K content to consume. That’s where the AI upscaling on offer comes in handy. It can improve the picture quality of whatever the original source may offer. And, the sound should also impress thanks to sound tracking and Dolby Atmos support.
2. TCL 75" Class 6-Series 8K Mini-LED QLED Smart Roku TV
Best Budget 8K Gaming TV
Now, the term budget is being used lightly here, but you'll be hard-pressed to find an 8K TV for under $2,500. TCL has been rocking the market with high-end features and prices that undercut the competition. That’s fully on display with their 75" Class 6-Series 8K Mini LED TV. It offers up loads of screen space with an 8K resolution to boot.
Premium technologies are on board to back up that 8K resolution. TCL has gone beyond a QLED panel with basic backlighting and instead jumped to the newer Mini LED backlighting. This means serious brightness where it’s necessary and yet still deep shadows by way of 240 local dimming zones. That strong balance of highlight and shadow plays well alongside the 10-bit color depth in HDR content. And, you can take your HDR into gaming as well. This pick is about as ready for gaming as they come with its support for 8K/60Hz or 4K/120Hz alongside a variable refresh rate and Auto Low Latency Mode. So, if you want to get ahead of the curve with an 8K TV but aren't quite ready to spend a small fortune on it, the TCL Class 6-Series 8K Mini-LED is the perfect option.
3. LG 75" Class NanoCell 99 Series
Best Smart 8K TV
If you want an 8K TV that has some serious smarts built right in, then look no further than the 75-inch LG NanoCell 99 Series. This massive display runs on LG’s solid webOS to deliver content to your TV without needing a single cable running to the back of your TV beyond the power cable. So, it's simple to get streaming your favorite content in no time. There's even voice assistance built-in working with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. LG’s smarts further allow for 8K AI processing to improve the visuals in everything you watch, even if you’re not watching native 8K footage.
The 75-inch LG NanoCell 99 Series has some powerful display features that go beyond just the 8K resolution. With direct, full-array backlighting, the TV offers local dimming to improve its contrast ratio and amp up HDR content, which it supports in a wide variety of formats. It offers wide viewing angles and solid reflection handling, so you'll be able to enjoy watching from any postition. And, Gamers can also gear up for serious play with Auto Low Latency Mode and HDMI 2.1 support alongside a 120Hz refresh, giving you the option to drop down to 4K/120Hz or stick with 8K/60Hz. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer a VRR though.
4. Sony 85" Class Z9J LED 8K UHD Smart Google TV
Best 8K LED TV
If you’ve got the space for an 85-inch TV, you ought to also consider going for 8K. A screen that big is going to let you do a lot of pixel peeping so that resolution keeps everything crisp. The Sony 85XR-Z9J puts that size and resolution together in a stunning package. This monster of a TV won’t leave you wanting for much. The full-array LED backlighting offers up depth and detail with excellent blacks and high peak brightness thanks to the XR Contrast Booster. This helps you take advantage of the HDR imagery that may well blow you away.
The Sony 85XR-Z9J boasts the latest HDMI 2.1 connectivity to let you pair it with devices capable of outputting 8K/60Hz video or even 4K/120Hz, giving you a powerful partner for gaming. That HDMI 2.1 connection also enables support for variable refresh rates and Auto Low Latency Mode. There is even upscaling available, though some of the other TVs on our list are able to take tackle that 8K content adjustment better. And, it's easy to get streaming as this pick comes loaded with Google smarts built-in.
5. LG 86" Class 99 Series QNED 8K Smart NanoCell TV (86QNED99UPA)
Best Mini LED 8K TV
Mini LED displays have started to proliferate, and the 86-inch LG 99 Series QNED puts them brilliantly on display. This massive TV will let you make the most of your 8K picture, putting each pixel to good use. And, behind that display are the incredibly bright Mini LEDs that help deliver a stunning, colorful picture with precise full-array local dimming offering the deepest blacks and high peak brightness well beyond what you’re used to from traditional LCD TVs. And, you can watch this TV from just about anywhere with its wide viewing angles and excellent reflection handling.
The LG 99 Series QNED TV lets you enjoy content with an assortment of HDR profiles, and it can intelligently upscale content to 8K. Plus, you can keep HDR running even while you game on this display. Not to mention, you’ll enjoy the fast, 120Hz refresh rate of the panel for gaming if you drop down to 4K. Unfortunately, it does not support a variable refresh rate.
What's next for 8K TVs?
It'll likely still be a while before we see 8K TVs start to take over the market. 4K TVs are proliferating, but 4K and HDR content is still catching up, which will leave many consumers with little reason to jump beyond 4K. That said, TV manufacturers aren't stopping at 4K. 8K panels are where we're seeing big manufacturers show off some of their latest technologies.
Samsung introduced its Neo QLED technology in the Samsung Neo QLED QN900A 8K TV. This display technology released last year uses small LED backlights, called Quantum Mini LEDs, for full-array local dimming. These backlights are smaller than those found in Samsung's other TVs, letting the company pack more of them behind the display for finer control of local dimming to compete with OLED displays. But, since the Quantum Mini LEDs aren't made of organic materials, they won't face the same burn-in risks. They also don't require much room height-wise, so Samsung will be able to make even thinner displays with them.
Sony's Bravia XR Z9J Series doesn't change much in terms of the physical hardware delivering an 8K image. Instead, these new displays have an emphasis put on their intelligence. Sony is using a new Cognitive Processor XR that will enhance visuals based on where viewers are likely to be focused. The processor is intended to take non-8K video and upscale it to 8K in a more effective and lifelike way. This should smooth out motion and color gradation while also enhancing clarity. And, Sony applies those smarts to audio as well.
LG has started using mini LED technology in their 8K offering. Plus, more budget-friendly manufacturers like TCL and Hisense are also getting in on the action with some new 8K displays as well.
The Gaming Features That Matter in an 8K (or Any) TV
Right now, most 8K TVs occupy the top end of the market, so there’s not a lot to consider when shopping around (especially when there are only a handful of models anyway). Still, if you’re wondering whether these TVs will be good for gaming, here’s what you need to know.
Size: 4K TVs already provide an incredibly sharp picture, so 8K is, frankly, a small step up for most screen sizes. If you want to go 8K, go big. Because the resolution of 8K TVs is so high, you can go for some truly large screens, like 80-inches and up, before you can start discerning the individual pixels on a display.
Both Samsung and Sony offer their 8K TVs in gargantuan sizes, so if you want to make sure that money is going toward something noticeable, buy the biggest panel you can—you won’t be disappointed.
High Dynamic Range (HDR): Any of the current 8K TVs excel at HDR, thanks to their high peak brightness and wide color gamuts—allowing them to produce a more vibrant image than the standard dynamic range TVs of yore. There is Dolby Vision, which is currently available on some Blu-ray discs and streaming services. Dolby Vision supports more colors, brighter highlights, and scene-by-scene information for a more dynamic image. HDR10+ is another format, and a competitor for Dolby Vision that is more open, and becoming more common. And, unsupported standards will just show as HDR10, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Refresh rate: Refresh rate determines how many times per second the display can refresh the image—the more times it can do so, the more frames it can display, leading to smoother motion. While the major consoles currently run games at 30, 60, and 120 frames per second, PCs—and perhaps future consoles—can run games at higher frame rates for superfluid action.
Thankfully, most 8K TVs support refresh rates of up to 120Hz for 4K graphics. 8K is only supported at 60Hz even with the highest tier video connections (i.e. DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1).
Response time: Response time is often confused with input lag, but while both tend to be measured in milliseconds, they affect different characteristics of your monitor. Response time measures how fast a pixel can change from black to white, or between two different shades of grey. The slower it’s able to make that change, the more likely you are to see “ghosting,” or trails behind moving images on the screen. That means games and movies will look blurrier, so low response time is crucial for having a clear image. Thankfully, all the options above have excellent response times.
Input lag: This refers to the delay between pressing a button on your controller and seeing the effect on the screen. Many things can affect input lag, but TVs, in particular, are notorious for having high input lag due to the amount of processing that happens behind the scenes. That’s why you want a TV with a dedicated “Game Mode” that turns this processing off for the least lag possible—below 30-40ms is ideal. Again, since the current crop of 8K TVs is made up of super high-end displays, all the options on this list have low input lag when Game Mode is turned on.
Variable Refresh Rate (FreeSync, G-Sync): If you’re using an Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PS5 or PC that supports FreeSync or G-Sync, you may want a TV that also supports the variable refresh rate tech. This allows the display to adjust its refresh rate to match the frame rate output of your PC or console, eliminating nasty screen tearing.
Is 8K Even Worth It Yet?
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably yelling at your screen, chastising us for ignoring the elephant in the room—but don’t worry, we're just saving it for last.
Here’s the thing: these 8K TVs may be glorious, but so are this year’s crop of 4K TVs, and there is limited 8K content to watch right now—heck, there’s still a lot of stuff you can’t even watch in 4K. And even if you did have 8K content, it’s likely to be the most subtle upgrade in picture quality yet.
With 8K TVs costing thousands more than their 4K counterparts, we’re pretty firmly in the realm of diminishing returns right now. By the time 8K content is available, the TVs are likely to be a lot more affordable, meaning there’s little reason to buy one right this second.
We can see an argument for buying a “future-proof” TV now and not having to upgrade for many, many years—and some people may prefer that approach. But just remember that even an 8K TV won’t necessarily be future-proof by the time 8K becomes ubiquitous—just ask early 4K adopters who missed out on HDR.
If you’re extremely flush with cash and want the best TV money can buy, go for it—as I said, you won’t be disappointed by the picture quality these sets offer. If you have any semblance of a budget, you’re probably better off with a super high-end 4K set.
