So you've decided that you hate your current TV. We'll help you decide how to upgrade.

 

By

Leah Stodart

Leah Stodart

Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

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on December 21, 2025

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Credit: LG / Samsung / TCL ; Mashable composite

Compared to other appliances, the journey to buy a new TV is arguably one of the most elusive. Unboxing them will have you sweating significantly more than, say, a robot vacuum would. The minutiae of the specs involving picture quality are far more nuanced, say, than whether a refrigerator can keep food cold. Of course, you can totally go to the store to try to assess things like brightness or color volume in person. But has seeing 15 TVs playing the same loop ever been anything but disorienting for anyone?

There are two paths you could take next in your quest to find the best 4K TV for your personal watching, gaming, and lighting situation. Falling into a Reddit rabbit hole about the best TV to buy in 2025 or just seeing what an expert has to say. If you're overwhelmed with options, here's a consolidated list of the best 65-inch TVs, according to reporters from Mashable, PCMag, and CNET who have tested them. (We've dubbed 65 inches as the sweet spot for most people, but will note whether these TVs have wiggle room to size up or down.)

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TV specs are notoriously confusing to people who don't test them for a living. Luckily, we happen to know some people who actually do test TVs for a living: Ty Pendlebury, CNET's TV and home video editor, and Will Greenwald, PCMag's home theater and AR/VR expert. CNET and PCMag are both owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis, and both have dedicated labs for testing TVs.

• Very bright and very good at handling glare

• Full-array local dimming is superb, especially at this price

• Great contrast and shadow quality for a QLED

• Anti-halo effect actually works well in dark rooms

• Almost looks bezel-less

• You don't find a 98-inch option often

• Doesn't come smaller than 65 inches

• A solid gaming TV, but not OLED-level solid

• Only two HDMI 2.1 ports

At the risk of earning an eye roll after the following generalization, the TCL QM8K really would be a great TV purchase for just about anyone. With superb peak brightness, detailed picture quality, and fantastic glare handling, the QM8K would be best for people who know they'll be doing a good amount of their TV watching in the daytime (especially if it's sports).

The TCL QM8K offers great contrast and blooming mitigation in dark rooms for a non-OLED TV. And its non-OLED pricetag will be enticing to shoppers who are more than casual movie watchers but not exactly strict cinephiles with no budget cap. Each size of the TCL QM8K can often be found on sale for $1,000+ off, bringing both the 65-inch and 75-inch models under $2,000 — not the absolute cheapest you can go by any means, but certainly on the affordable side compared to flagship OLEDs from LG, Samsung, and Sony.

The QLED TV market is a more saturated one than OLED, so pinpointing a singular model as the best QLED TV with no further questions asked is a little bit rockier. For most people, the best QLED TV for your buck will be the TCL QM8K. And though it does extra points for being so punchy at such a practical price point, this isn't one of those "it's a good TV... for the price" situations — the QM8K is hard to beat, period.

The 2025 QM8K is even brighter than the older version, the QM8, which was consistently regarded as one of the absolute brightest TVs on the market for 2024. Though there are some brighter TVs than the QM8K model this year, the QM8K's brightness is still in the top percentile — it actually gets brighter than many of its more-expensive peers.

The full-array local dimming system is really where this model shines, though. There are thousands of little pockets of bulbs behind the screen (far more than the 2024 model) tweaking their brightness to accurately portray each scene, inch by inch. Pendlebury couldn't help but point out this stellar picture quality, contrast, and shadow detail — especially for being a non-OLED TV.

Its more-precise-than-usual backlights extend to dark rooms, where QLED TVs sometimes struggle to prevent washout. TCL's new halo control technology is an effective fix for some of the blooming that its predecessor experienced.

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• Has been more than $1,000 off since September

• Comes in a huge variety of sizes

• Incredible contrast ratio in dark rooms

• Blooming is essentially nonexistent

• Slightly less advanced than the LG G5

• Struggles to handle glare from bright windows or very nearby lamps

• Audio is lackluster

The LG C5 is the ultimate home theater TV for people who take their film watching seriously. It offers an exceptionally detailed viewing experience in dark rooms and is incredibly well-suited for graphics-heavy gaming as well. If you host movie nights, the C5's super-wide viewing angle would ensure that nothing appears wonky to folks sitting on the end.

LG's C series OLEDs are the darling of the TV-obsessed corner of the internet, and the newest version is the 2025 C5, released in March. It builds on the beloved 2024 C4 with higher peak brightness (especially in HDR) and an improved anti-glare screen coating needed for rooms with heavy natural light. But as we've grown to expect from the C series, the C5's wheelhouse is still stark contrast and impeccable image quality. Pendlebury noted the sleek ultra-thin design and viewing angles, uniformity

Much of this impeccable quality is effortless on your part, too, thanks to the addition of Filmmaker Mode, in which the TV tweaks its own settings to preserve the director's intended aspect ratio, colors, and frame rates (rather than you doing the adjusting by hand). The C5 also earns high marks from gamers with its 144Hz refresh rate and four HDMI ports, setting it apart from the LG B5's 120Hz.

The headline of CNET's LG C5 review confirms that you were smart to let this release cook on the market for a little bit: "LG C5 OLED TV Review: Great Picture; Now Wait for the Price Drop," Pendlebury advised back in April. Well, the price has dropped indeed — the 65-inch LG C5 TV has been nearly 50% off for most of fall 2025. That brings it to $1,399.99 instead of its usual $2,699.99, making it not even $100 more expensive than the 65-inch C4 (on clearance for $1,274.99). If you were stuck in the C4 vs. C5 loop before this, there's no reason not to opt for the C5 now.

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If your TV watching isn't quite hardcore enough to greenlight spending almost $1,000, the TCL QM6K is a more budget-friendly mini LED TV that's still a standout in bright rooms. It's a great beginner fancy TV for those who don't want to buy the absolute cheapest or most expensive QLED out there.

Folks with limited space on their wall or TV stand will also appreciate that the QM6K comes in 55 inches (whereas the QM8K can't go smaller than 65 inches).

It's always mind-blowing that the TCL QM6K doesn't cost more than it does. You won't find a more fluid picture or better black levels in a 65-inch at $649.99 (the QM6K's frequent sale price).

I recently upgraded to this model in my own apartment after letting myself complain about my old TV's inability to pop for years too long. My living room gets a ton of natural light, so I needed something that was comfortably bright enough for early afternoon football games or getting the full colorful The Price Is Right experience at 11 a.m., just like my grandma taught me. On the flip side, I couldn't not consider dark room performance as well — I watch a new scary movie at least one night per week and am very serious about Game of Thrones and its spinoffs (all notoriously dark and shadowy).

Not all budget QLEDs or mini LEDs can hit both of those marks, but the QM6K has been such a noticeable upgrade across the board. Football fields don't look like they have a slight sepia tint anymore, and I don't have to guess what's going on in a low-light nighttime scene. My experience tracks with what CNET's testing found. With a 500 zone mini LED backlight, Pendlebury was impressed by the deep black levels this budget model produced. He noted that the QM6K's detailed shadows during darker movies palpably stood out compared to the similarly-priced Roku Pro.

It's not just us who like it. The QM6K has been stockpiling five-star reviews since it was released in January 2025 at CES — not only is its feedback overwhelmingly positive across the internet, but it has a higher customer review count in general than many competing budget QLEDs. I take that as buyers being so obsessed with their QM6K that they felt compelled to return to the listing to tell other people about it.

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• Extraordinary peak brightness for an OLED TV

• Best-in-class anti-glare matte screen

• Wickedly fast response times

• 165Hz refresh rate sets new standard

• Sale price is still way steeper than LG C5's

• Doesn't support Dolby Vision

The Samsung S95F is the very best OLED for gaming in any room lighting situation. In dark rooms, it looks as stunning as you'd expect from a high-end OLED, making it a great home theater option as well. But the S95F particularly dazzles in rooms with a lot of windows or elaborate gaming light setups, as its anti-glare matte coating is the best in the business at preventing washout from nearby light sources. With a refresh rate of up to 165Hz and instantaneous response times, the S95F is an ideal TV for fast-paced games like Counter-Strike 2 or visually demanding open-world games like Cyberpunk 2077 or GTA 6 (if it ever comes out).

The only dissuading factor for cinephiles might be the lack of Dolby Vision support here, as Samsung infamously insists on using HDR10+ instead. There's not that much of a difference between the two formats, but most people agree that Dolby just pops a little bit more.

If you know your TV time will be pretty evenly split between daytime and nighttime watching or gaming, the Samsung S95F is the rare OLED option that would truly perform equally well in a dark home theater or a well-lit living area. You'd have a hard time finding a brighter OLED TV with more intricate image quality. CNET can't help but rank this as the best 65-inch TV you can buy in 2025.

Another aspect contributing to this TV's brilliant display is the matte finish. That's not a feature you see too often in non-art TVs, and it's so effective that it may put the S95F ahead of LG's G5 (often regarded as the brightest OLED TV). According to Pendlebury, it's the best-in-class glare reduction in a bright room: "That matte finish really works, reducing windows and other glare to dimmer blobs instead of super-bright, mirror-like distractions." Compared to last year's S95D, which also benefited from the anti-glare finish, the S95F's black levels run circles around those of the S95D in a bright room.

Compared to the LG C5, the S95F's main downfall is merely its steep price tag. As of December 2025, the 65-inch Samsung S95F has remained at its Black Friday price of $2,299.99 — almost $1,000 more expensive than the 65-inch LG C5's steady sale price.

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• Only Frame with local dimming, leading to brighter, more vibrant picture

• Matte finish offers effective glare reduction

• Uses Wireless One Connect box instead of a million cords

• Only comes in three sizes

• Doesn't support Dolby Vision

• Not super bright despite mini LED panel

Samsung's The Frame Pro has a pretty specific target audience: folks who want a dazzling, realistic digital picture frame first and a decent TV second. You know the episode of Queer Eye where they install a remote-operated tapestry to cover the TV when it's not in use? Anyone who wishes their living room's black plasticky rectangle would blend in like that should heavily consider The Frame Pro.

It may also be helpful to point out who the Frame Pro is not best for: Gamers and hardcore movie watchers. Greenwald pointed out the high input lag (possibly due to the Wireless One Connect Box), and its poor black levels and blooming tendencies would be a cinephile's worst nightmare.

The Frame Pro is Samsung's first Frame model to use a mini-LED backlight instead of edge lighting (that's what they mean by "Neo QLED"). This isn't just a brand-wide feat, though — the Frame Pro is the only mainstream mini-LED art TV, giving it an automatic advantage over the Hisense CanvasTV and TCL NXTFRAME. More individually-controlled bulbs lead to more precise lighting, an advantage best reflected in the Frame Pro's strong color accuracy.

Cinephiles aren't going to be thrilled with the Frame Pro's limited contrast. But mega TV heads probably aren't the main market for a premium art TV that takes the movie displaying part less seriously, anyway. We can save the art of making a filmed movie look like you're witnessing it IRL to OLEDs. The Frame Pro is much better at making you feel like you're looking at a legitimate piece of framed artwork, museum style.

Greenwald was "taken by the detail and realism" of famous paintings displayed on the Frame Pro from the Samsung Art Store. "They looked like well-lit versions of the actual paintings, and while I haven’t seen any Bosch firsthand, I will say Magritte’s 'The Menaced Assassin' on The Frame Pro is a spitting image of the actual work at the MoMA," he asserted. "Photos also look excellent, evoking a picture in a frame instead of a glowing TV."

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• Almost always on sale, as much as 48% off

• Two HDMI 2.1 ports and higher refresh rate than The Frame

• Great matte reflection handling

• Free access to 1,000 pieces of art

• Comes with teak frame (The Frame only comes with black frame)

• Edge-lit backlight instead of local dimming (but so does The Frame)

• Awkward port placement

• Relatively low peak brightness

Gamers who also want a TV that blends in with their gallery wall should heavily consider the Hisense CanvasTV over either of Samsung's options. The Canvas has a 144Hz refresh rate compared to The Frame's 120Hz, and has proven to have noticeably less input lag than The Frame. Though The Frame Pro has a slight edge over the Canvas specs-wise, the Canvas is easily the better value for any shoppers who have some semblance of a budget cap.

If you're strict about HDR, you may also prefer Hisense's Dolby Vision support over Samsung's HDR10+ support.

The OG Samsung Frame is the obvious less expensive alternative to its Pro sibling. We probably didn't need to tell you that. But the regular Frame shouldn't automatically be your go-to if you want an art TV on the cheaper side. Despite often being minimized to a Frame dupe, the Hisense Canvas is actually a better value than The Frame in a lot of ways: Notably, it has a 144Hz refresh rate over the Frame's 120Hz and two HDMI 2.1 ports over the Frame's lone 2.1 port, both of which make it the better budget art TV for gaming by far.

The array of more-advanced features makes the Canvas' price point even more surprising, especially on sale. As of December 2025, the 65-inch Hisense CanvasTV has dropped to a new record-low price of $699.99 — the exact same sale price as the 55-inch version of this TV. Compare that to the 65-inch Frame's lowest price ever of $997.99.

Deputy Shopping Editor Miller Kern has a Hisense CanvasTV hanging in a gallery wall of actual framed art, and this thing is chic. "The CanvasTV has a matte finish that makes it look less like a TV and more like a giant picture frame. It's not totally glare-proof, but it does look really nice whether the TV is on or off. The TV itself looks stupid good in a gallery wall and really does blend in with other artwork and wall hangings, especially in art mode," she said.

If you do want to display real paintings instead of your own photos, Hisense lets you access its digital art library for free, whereas a Samsung Art Store subscription costs $4.99 per month. Use the VIDAA Art App to choose from over 1,000 pieces from genres like abstract, Renaissance, and modern.

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Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

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