The easiest way to quickly narrow down your list of “what to buy” when looking at Big Screen TVs is to stick to the best brands. The quality difference between name brand televisions and off-brand televisions is astounding- you’ll definitely want to buy a TV from a top brand (even if you’re seeking a bargain).
Even then, trying to understand the mishmash of model names and numbers can seem impossible. We’ve put together this little guide to help you out.
List of the Best TV Brands
When it comes to the Best TVs, three brands stand out above the rest: LG, Samsung, and Sony. You can still find fantastic options and great value elsewhere, but consumers should have supreme confidence in those top three brands.
You won’t find every TV models in this list for good reason: we’ve only included the TV brands and models that we recommend. Exhaustive TV lists are what make buying a TV exhausting. The list below breaks down the best TV brands, out to help you more quickly and easily find the best TV for you.
- LG
- LED (4K Ultra HD)
- OLED
- A1 / A2 / A3
- B1 / B2 / B3
- C1 / C2 / C3
- GX / G1 / G2
- Z2 / Z3
- LG QNED
- LG NanoCell (we do not recommend these)
- Samsung
- Q60T
- Q70/Q70T
- Q80/Q80T
- Q90/Q90T
- Q800T
- Q900TS
- TU8000
- Sony
- Hisense
- U8 Series (Mini-LED TVs)
- U8G / U8H
- U7 Series (Quantum ULED)
- U7G / U7H
- U6 Series (Quantum ULED)
- U6G / U6GR / U6H
- A7 Series (UHD 4K TVs)
- A6 Series (UHD 4K TVs)
- A6G / A6H / A6K
- U8 Series (Mini-LED TVs)
- TCL
- Vizio
- Panasonic
- Sharp (owned by Hisense)
- Toshiba (owned by Hisense)
- Insignia
- Philips
- Sanyo
The above list of TV Models for each brand is not comprehensive. We’ve listed only the models we suggest from the brands we recommend.
Resources used:
TV Brands to Avoid
If you’re shopping around for deals, you should be aware of some TV brands to avoid at all costs. Even if the price appears tempting, resist the temptation to purchase a TV from one of these brands:
- JVC
- Sceptre TV
- Sylvania TV
- Magnavox TV
- Akai
- Apex Digital
- Hitachi TV
- RCA
- Mitsubishi
- Emerson
- Polaroid
- Westinghouse
- Element (owned by Westinghouse)
- Seiki (owned by Westinhouse)
- Funai
Samsung
As the worldwide leader in electronics, Samsung produces some of the most popular TVs in the world, covering a wide range of price points. Samsung offers a screen technology called QLED which is their proprietary alternative to QLED.
Samsung TV Brand Names & Model Nu:
- Q60T
- Q70/Q70T
- Q80/Q80T
- Q90/Q90T
- Q800T
- Q900TS
- TU8000
LG
What’s important:
- OLED Screen Technology
- Sells LED LCD as “Super UHD”
- Operating System: WebOS
Sony
What’s important:
- Bravia is their LED LCD brand
- Flagship models are in the XBR Series
- OLED Screen Technology
- X1 Extreme Processor
- Operating system: Android TV
Vizio
What’s important:
- QLED Screen Technology
- Operating system: SmartCast
TCL
What’s important:
- Value oriented
- Operating system: Roku
- Chinese brand that has rapidly expanded in the US
Hisense
What’s important:
- They focus on variety
Sharp (owned by Hisense)
Hello
Panasonic
- They ruled the Plasma TV era which is now over
- OLED TVs now (not in USA)
- Operating System: My Home Screen
Insignia
- TV brand only found in Best Buy
- LED LCD models only
When you’re buying a new TV it’s helpful to understand the offerings of each brand, where they fit in the spectrum of products available, and how they compare.
The Best LG TVs
The most popular LG TVs are in its OLED series with names that start with “LG OLED”, for example the LG OLED65BXAUA.
Let’s break down the name:
OLED65BXAUA
- OLED = Series (aka Product Line)
- 65 = TV Size
- B = Model
- X = Year (2020)
- AUA = Country, Tuner, Style
LG uses the Roman Numeral “X” for 2020 rather than “0” to avoid confusion between the letter (O) and the number zero (0). LG’s 2019 models end in “9” and LG’s 2021 models will end in “1”.
Other LG TV Series include:
- NanoCell 90 Series
- 4K Ultra HD 85 Series
- 8K NanoCell 99 Series
- Signature ZX Series
You can learn more at the official LG TV website.
Sony
These are Sony TVs:
- Sony A8G
- Sony A8H
- Sony A9G
- Sony X950H
- Sony X900H
Samsung
These are Samsung’s TVs
- Q60T
- Q70/Q70T
- Q80/Q80T
- Q90/Q90T
- Q800T
- Q900TS
- TU8000
Hisense
These are Hisense TVs
- Hisense H9G
- Hisense H8G
- Hisense R8F
TCL
These are TCL TVs
- TCL 5 Series S535 2020 QLED
Vizio
These are Vizio TVs:
- Vizio P Series Quantum X 2020
BEST HD TV
- We do not recommend buying HD, Full HD, or 2K TVs because they use old and outdated technology. They are more affordable and some people will still buy them, but we do not recommend them.