We buy our own products and put them under the same testing methodology so that you can easily compare them. Unlike most websites, we do not get our products directly from the manufacturers, which means our units aren’t handpicked and actually represent what you would buy yourself. We spend a lot of time comparing the products side-by-side to validate our results and we keep them until they are discontinued so we can continually go back and make sure our reviews are always accurate.
LED LCD TVs are the backbone of the TV industry. They’re available in pretty much any size out there, and range in quality from the smallest budget TVs to the most advanced premium ones. In 2019, some LED LCD TVs nearly rival the picture quality of OLEDs, but without the risk of permanent burn-in or temporary image retention.
We’ve tested 51 4k LED TVs in the past year, and here are our recommendations for the best ones to purchase in 2019.
Samsung Q90R: The best LED LCD 4k TV on the market
Type: LED
Sizes: 65″, 75″, 82″
The best LED TV on the market we’ve tested so far is the Samsung Q90R. It’s an excellent TV with a remarkable picture quality. It’s a TV that can get very bright and will easily fight glare in any room. It can also display deep blacks in a dark room, thanks to the high native contrast ratio and the great local dimming support. Watching HDR movies is a remarkable experience, as the TV delivers vivid images full of rich colors and highlights that pop.
Motion is excellent. Fast-moving content has only minimal blur, and you can further improve the appearance of motion using the TV’s motion interpolation of BFI features. Sports fans will appreciate the new ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ technology that improves viewing angles and makes the TV suitable for watching sports with a group of friends. Finally, it’s an excellent TV for use as a PC monitor. Those who enjoy video games will appreciate that it is loaded with gaming goodies, like FreeSync support and low input lag with motion interpolation.
Overall, the Q90R is a remarkable TV that will please anyone who chooses it.
Vizio P Series Quantum: An excellent LED LCD 4k TV with great value
Type: LED
Sizes: 65”
The Vizio P Series Quantum is one of the best 4k LED TVs we’ve tested up until now. It’s only available in 65” and has an excellent overall performance. You can place it in a very bright room with no issue thanks to its very high SDR peak brightness. The picture quality is impressive with deep blacks in a dark room due to the excellent contrast ratio and great local dimming support. HDR content is vivid with rich, saturated colors thanks to the wide color gamut and high HDR brightness that make highlights pop.
Motion on this TV is remarkable, thanks to the very fast response time that displays fast-moving content with very little motion blur, and more advanced features like motion interpolation or Black Frame Insertion that help adjust motion to your liking. This TV has a very low input lag which is great for gamers, but it does not support any advanced gaming features like FreeSync.
Unfortunately, the image deteriorates quickly when you view it from the side, and the smart features could be better. Overall, the Vizio P Series Quantum is an excellent TV no matter the usage.
Sony X900F: An impressive mid-range LED LCD 4k TV
Type: LED
Sizes: 49”, 55”, 65”, 75”, 85”
The Sony X900F is an impressive 4k LED LCD TV. It has a great picture quality and delivers a remarkable dark room performance thanks to its deep blacks. The overall picture quality is impressive with high SDR peak brightness and excellent reflection handling that make it suitable for any room. It’s an excellent choice for those who enjoy HDR content, as it delivers bright and vivid highlights, and fast motion looks crisp due to the very fast response time. The TV offers a motion interpolation feature to help you make motion more fluid in lower fps content like movies that might show signs of stutter. It also has a Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature to help make motion even crisper if you find it blurry.
This TV is better enjoyed if you sit straight in front, as the image deteriorates when viewed from the side. It’s a good choice for casual gamers, as the input lag is low and the TV feels responsive.
Overall, the Sony X900F is a very good TV for most uses in the mid-range category.
Samsung RU8000: A good mid-range LED LCD 4k TV with remarkable gaming performance
Type: LED
Sizes: 49”, 55”, 65”, 72”, 82”
If you’re in the search for a good mid-range LED 4k TV with a remarkable gaming performance, then check out the Samsung RU8000. It has good picture quality with uniform backs in a dark room, but lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the dark room performance. Although it has good SDR brightness and good reflection handling, the TV performs its best in an average lit room, where deep blacks and the need for very high peak brightness don’t matter much. It has a wide color gamut, but the HDR peak brightness is only mediocre and small highlights don’t display as they should be.
Like most VA panel TVs, the viewing angles are narrow, but the TV has an excellent gaming performance provided you sit straight in front. The input lag is remarkably low and it supports FreeSync for nearly tear-free gaming. Also, it has low input lag with motion interpolation, and an Auto Low Latency feature that is very handy even for serious gamers.
Overall, this is a good TV for most uses, but it really shines for gaming.
TCL R617: A powerful budget LED LCD 4k TV
Type: LED
Sizes: 55”, 65”, 75”
The TCL 6 Series R617 is a TV that delivers powerful performance even though its price ranges closer to the budget category. It’s a great LED TV with impressive dark room performance. It has deep blacks, thanks to the high native contrast ratio and effective local dimming support. It gets very bright in SDR, suitable for rooms with plenty of ambient light, and also can display vivid HDR content with a full range of colors and highlights that pop.
Motion handling is good, and the fast response time ensures crisp, fast-moving objects. The TV has excellent black frame insertion and can interpolate low fps content, like movies, up to 60fps, which is the TV native refresh rate. Gamers will also appreciate the low input lag that makes the TV feel very responsive.
Unfortunately, just like most VA panel TVs, the image deteriorates when viewed at an angle, and some demanding sports fans might find the dirty screen effect distracting. Overall, however, the TCL R617 is an impressive TV that will keep most people happy.
This guide may have been updated. To see all measurements and the current recommendations for LED TVs, please go here.
