Televisions are becoming gloriously complicated again.
Just when you thought you’d nailed all the acronyms (OLED, HDR, QLED, etc), there’s a bunch of new jargon to master as a fresh wave of screen TV tech heads to the high street. But don’t fret if you don’t know your True RGB from your Freely - we’re here to help you through what’s hot to watch in 2026.
It’s actually a great time to buy a new telly. The latest display innovations mean better-than-ever picture quality, while screen sizes are getting bigger than ever.
And with a summer of sport on the way, led by the FIFA World Cup, who doesn’t want a shiny new screen to catch all the action on?
We’ve taken an early look at the latest models and the best of the rest, so you can upgrade your viewing with confidence. Whether you want a picture-perfect OLED, massive Micro RGB, or simply the best value gogglebox around, we’ve got you covered…
Best TV for Picture Quality
- Samsung R95H Micro RGB
- Price: £3,299 (65-inch)
- Screen sizes available: 65-, 75-, 85-inches
- Size: 1442.9 x 831.2 x 52 mm (wxhxd)
- Display Technology: Micro RGB
- HDMI: Yes, x 4
- HDR: YesOperating System: Tizen
- Price: £3,299
- Weight: 19.1kg
Samsung’s latest flagship TV, the R95H, uses ground-breaking Micro RGB display technology for a truly scintillating picture. Micro-sized red, green, and blue LED backlights offer breathtaking brightness and colour richness. Powered by Samsung’s Micro RGB AI Engine, the R95H delivers exceptional colour accuracy, along with deep blacks and pristine detail. Not only is the R95H exceptionally bright, it sports a Glare Free screen coating that keeps unwanted room reflections and lights at bay. All this makes it ideal for bright room viewing.
Sound isn’t too shabby either, thanks to an 8-channel Dolby Atmos audio system. And if you need more reasons to buy, there’s also Tizen, Samsung’s highly polished smart platform, which comes with all the key streaming services, alongside Samsung TV Plus, a collection of free-to-watch linear channels.
The price tag may be toppy, but if you want the next-gen image quality, it’s definitely worth paying.
Best TV for Sports
- Sony BRAVIA 7 II True RGB
- Price £1,999 (55-inch)
- Screen sizes available: 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 98-inches
- Size: 1228 x 784 x 80mm (wxhxd)
- Display Technology: True RGB
- HDMI: Yes, x 4
- HDR: YesOperating System: Google TV
- Price: £1,999
- Weight: 18.4kg
Sony has been turning heads with its own take on Micro RGB technology, dubbed True RGB. The BRAVIA 7 II is the more affordable of its two debut launches (positioned under the all-singing and dancing BRAVIA 9 II), and we reckon it's the sweeter buy. Prices range from £1,899 for the 50-inch, up to £6,999 for the 98-incher.
Image quality is exceptionally good, with superb colours, punchy HDR and pronounced contrast. It looks great when you want to hunker down in the dark and watch a movie (it boasts Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced certification), but what’ll win you over is its bright room performance, colour fidelity and motion handling.
Long a strong suit for BRAVIA screens, frame interpolation is top-notch, with minimal blur and exceptional clarity, perfect for watching fast-moving sports.
Best TV for games
- LG OLED Evo C6
- Price: £2,599 (65-inch)
- Screen sizes available: 42-, 48-, 55-, 65-, 77- 83-inches
- Size: 1441 x 826 x 45.1mm (wxhxd)
- Display Technology: OLED
- HDMI: Yes, x 4
- HDR: YesOperating System: web OS
- Price: £2,599
- Weight: 16.6kg
The C series from LG is one of the world’s best-selling OLED TVs for good reason. Combining superb 4K picture quality with a feature-rich webOS smart TV platform, it’s a premium all-rounder and an irresistible option for gamers - and this year’s C6 OLED Evo may be its best yet.
All four HDMI inputs offer 4K/120Hz support, and there’s a host of PC friendly features, including a 165Hz refresh rate for PC gamers, low input lag Game mode, and NVIDIA G-Sync / AMD FreeSync Premium support.
OLED picture performance, as you’d expect, is gorgeous. Powered by LG’s latest Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor, HDR highlights are the brightest we’ve seen on a C series model, while black levels remain deep and inky. Whether you’re playing Overwatch or binging The Boroughs, the C6 looks detailed, vibrant and highly cinematic.
Best TV for value
- Hisense E7Q
- Price: £319 (50-inch)
- Screen sizes available: 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 98-inches
- Size (Dimensions without stand): 1119 x 649 x 80 mm (wxhxd)
- Display Technology: QLED
- HDMI: Yes, x 4
- HDR: YesOperating System: VIDAA
- Price: £319
- Weight: 9.4kg
Flagship flatscreens are all well and good, but when your purse demands you rein in your expectations, there are still exceptional buys to be had. This 50-inch Hisense E7Q will set you back just £319, while the monster 98-inch Pro version is a mere £1,199 (from AO.com).
There’s no skimping on features either. The E7Q is built around the VIDAA smart TV, so it comes with all the usual streaming apps and offers bright, colour-rich pictures courtesy of its QLED panel. Home cinema niceties include Dolby Vision HDR support and Filmmaker Mode, but there are also dedicated Game and Sport Modes, making it ideal for the footie.
But what really sells this affordable Hisense to us is the provision of Freely, the Internet delivered stablemate of Freeview. With Freely, you don’t need a traditional TV aerial to watch all your mainstream TV channels (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and so on), just Wi-Fi and an internet connection. This means you can park your new screen in any room, anywhere you like, without having to run cables. Hurrah!
Best TV for Pay channels
- Sky Glass Air
- Price: From £17 monthly + channel package (65-inch)
- Screen sizes available: 43-, 55-, 65-inches
- Size (Dimensions without stand): 1446 x 829 x 34 mm (wxhxd)
- Display Technology: QLED
- HDMI: Yes, x 3
- HDR: YesOperating System: Sky Entertainment OS
- Price: £17 monthly + channel package
- Weight: 24.2kg
So what if you fancy a snazzy new 4K TV, but would rather pay for one on a contract, like a smartphone? Sky Glass Air is for you. This smart-looking LED model comes with Sky’s premium pay TV services baked in, with no external set-top box or dish required. The entire Sky channel enchilada is delivered over Wi-Fi.
Slimmer and some might say sexier, than the step-up Sky Glass Gen 2, Sky Glass Air is available in three screen sizes (43-, 55- and 65- inches) and comes in a choice of colours - Sea Green, Carbon Grey or Cotton White.
There’s HDMI with eARC, Wi-Fi 6 for ultra stable connectivity, and Dolby Vision HDR. Gamers might want to give the Air a swerve though, as it’s a 60Hz screen with noticeably high input lag.
Picture quality is bright and punchy. An Auto picture mode works in the background, optimising picture quality based on what you’re watching.
Obviously, the real attraction here is the broader Sky experience. The Sky OS neatly unifies live TV, streaming apps and cloud recording into one easy-to-use interface. Obviously what you can watch depends on your subscription package, but there’s no doubting the sheer variety on offer when it comes to entertainment, movies and sports. We’d suggest the best deal is the recently announced Sky Ultimate TV bundle (£24 a month), which includes Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu, along with all the Sky general entertainment channels.
Sky Glass Air prices start at £6 a month (for the 43-inch model ) for a 48 month contract, plus your chosen monthly channels bundle.
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