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The best TVs in Australia for 2020

If you’re looking to upgrade your viewing experience, here are the 7 best TVs available in Australia that you can buy right now.

David Milner
David Milner

Updated

Fact checked
A woman watching TV with her young child and small dog

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The best TVs in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on actual customer reviews. For each category, we carefully selected parameters based on our research and identified the products with the highest review score within those parameters.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best TV under $1,000: Hisense Series 8 4K UHD Smart TV

Hisense Series 8 4K UHD Smart TV

  • Impressive picture for the price
  • Bluetooth headphone connectivity
  • Lacks higher-end features
  • Picture not as brilliant as OLED or QLED panels

Average online price: $795 for 43" model | $895 for 50" model | $1,095 for 55" model | $1,865 for 75" model

Buy at Bing Lee
Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

Chinese manufacturer Hisense produces TVs that are generally good value for what they offer. The company's Series 8 4K TV sits on a 4.5-star rating from over 40 reviews on Google and has earned praise from numerous professional reviewers. Hisense was also voted third in the best TV brand category in the Finder Retail Awards – the highest rated budget-tier brand.

The 2020 iteration of the Series 8 has support for all the major HDR standards, the ability to connect Bluetooth headphones for silent late-night viewing and a sleek Samsung-esque frame with extremely thin bezels.

The overwhelming majority of user reviews say they're impressed with the picture quality, most commonly citing its impressive colour reproduction, particularly for the price.

Best TV under $1,500: Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV

Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV

  • Sharp 4K image
  • Extremely low input lag
  • HDR performance is underwhelming
  • Software can be sluggish

Average online price: $995 for 43" model | $1,195 for 55" model

Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Appliances Online
Buy at Bing Lee

Why we chose it

Samsung's current 8 Series range of TVs holds a 4.6-star rating on Google from over 4,770 reviews, making it the highest rated TV line available in Australia for less than $1,500 (in the 50-inch model).

Customers cite the TU8000's sharp 4K LED panel, impressive build quality and sleek thin-bezel design as highlights. Professional tech reviewers have flagged the model's HDR10+ as being less impressive than on more expensive models, leading to a less vibrant colour range overall, but still award the TV generally favourable reviews. Of particular note is its blisteringly fast response time, making it a good choice for gaming.

Best high-end TV: Samsung Q95T QLED 4K TV

Samsung Q95T QLED 4K TV

  • Brilliant 4K HDR image
  • Fantastic smart features
  • HDR performance is underwhelming
  • In-built speakers not fantastic (a soundbar is recommended)

Average online price: $2,995 for 55" model | $3,995 for 65" model | $5,995 for 75" model

Buy at Appliances Online
Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Bing Lee

Why we chose it

Samsung took the Finder Award for most recommended TV brand as voted by our community, so it's no surprise that the company's 2020 4K flagship model comes highly recommended. Numerous professional reviewers have rated it the best premium TV of 2020 so far.

Reviewers unanimously praise the Q95T's image quality, particularly the local dimming technology and vibrant HDR. They also cite the panel's impressive upscaling of non-4K content, which is unfortunately more important than we'd like, given how limited 4K content is. The operating system is likewise singled out for its speed, rich feature set and intuitive UI.

If you have the money to spend, Samsung's flagship 4K TV is worthy of your attention.

Best OLED TV: LG CX OLED

LG CX OLED

  • Great picture with exceptionally deep blacks
  • Good smart features
  • No HDR10+ support
  • Upscaling of non-4K content isn't fantastic

Average online price: $3,295 for 55" model | $4,495 for 65" model | $8,495 for 77" model

Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Bing Lee
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

If you're specifically looking for an OLED TV, the LG CX comes highly recommended by both users and professional reviewers. It has a 4.7-star rating from Google user reviews and has claimed numerous best OLED TV and best overall TV awards from professional tech reviewers. LG was also the runner up in our best TV brand category in the Finder Awards, as voted by our readers.

The LG CX OLED is a successor to the oft-praised C9, building on strong foundations. Thanks to OLED technology, every pixel is individually self-lit, meaning colours remain distinct and don't band together like some LCDs are prone to. Because of this, reviewers and users alike praise the panel's standout picture quality, particularly its extremely deep blacks and its ability to display high contrast movie scenes without any halos or muddying.

Professional critics also single out the exceptional industrial design, with an astonishingly thin panel just a few mms deep.

Best 8K TV: Samsung Q950T 8K Smart TV

Samsung Q950T 8K Smart TV

  • Astonishing picture
  • Great upscaling to 8K
  • Barely anything to watch natively in 8K
  • Prohibitively expensive

Average online price: $8,595 for 65" model | $11,595 for 75" model | $18,995 for 85" model

Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Bing Lee

Why we chose it

The 8K TV market is limited right now and, predictably, absurdly expensive. There also isn't much 8K content to watch. But, if you're an early adopter with the money to spare, the Samsung Q950T 8K Smart TV will impress. It's been voted best 8K TV by numerous tech sites, including T3 and TechRadar, and has a 5-star rating on Google. However, it only has a few reviews.

Reviewers of the Q950T single out its unrivalled HDR tech with 480 separate dimming zones, allowing for astonishing contrast and clarity. The industrial design is also repeatedly praised. Described as an "Infinity Bezel" by Samsung, the TV is essentially 100% screen, with a barely perceptible bezel. Importantly, given the dearth of native 8K content, 4K upscaling is impressive, with TechRadar describing it as "extraordinary".

Best smart TV: LG Nano86 Series 4K TV

LG Nano86 Series 4K TV

  • Brilliant UI
  • Jam-packed with apps and smart features
  • Remote control isn’t for everyone
  • Picture not as sharp as higher-end OLEDs

Average online price: $1,595 for 55" model | $1,995 for 65" model

Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Myer
Buy at Appliances Online

Why we chose it

Nowadays, practically every TV is a smart TV, so consider this more a pick for the TV with the best smart features. In this regard, from our personal testing and the reviews of others, LG takes the honours with its snappy, fast, feature packed, stylish and intuitive "webOS" user interface.

Although this operating system is shared across all new LG TVs, we recommend the LG Nano86 Series 4K TV. It has a 4.8-star rating on Google from more than 20 reviewers and is a great smart TV at a more affordable price than the high-end LG CX OLED.

It comes loaded with every major streaming app, including relative newcomers Disney+ and Apple TV. It works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant – but if you can't be bothered talking to your TV, you can wave the "Magic Remote" around and make selections using motion control. Unnecessary? Absolutely. Kinda cool? You bet.

Best TV for gaming: LG CX OLED

LG CX OLED

  • Extremely low latency (13ms)
  • Supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync for smooth PC gaming
  • On the pricey side
  • Small risk of "burn-in" if left on for days on end

Average online price: $3,295 for 55" model | $4,495 for 65" model | $8,495 for 77" model

Buy at The Good Guys
Buy at Bing Lee
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

LG's flagship CX OLED is our pick for best gaming TV for a few key reasons. To start with, it's a great TV overall, taking out our pick for best OLED elsewhere on this list. But it's the remarkably low latency and response time that make it so appropriate for gaming when milliseconds can mean the difference between (virtual) life and death.

CX's auto low latency mode is designed specifically for video games. When activated, the TV's response time is a blistering 13ms. It has intelligent variable refresh rates to ensure the TV's frame rate aligns with the console's output, so images will stay stutter-free. And, in a rarity for the space, it even has G-Sync and FreeSync support, making it great for use with PCs and not just consoles.

Methodology

  • Our editorial team compared TVs found at major retailers and online stores across Australia.
  • We examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings and cross-referenced our selections with expert reviews and our own testing.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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