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What about more affordable TV options?
We realise that the best TV isn’t always something most people can afford – that’s why we’ve put together a list of the best cheap 4K TV deals in Australia. Whether you’re after a small or large telly, you’re likely to find a suitable option for your budget.
There’s never a bad time to buy one of the best TVs of 2020. So far, we’ve seen massive discounts on last year’s top models, and in the coming months we expect to see a slew of new TVs from Sony, LG, Samsung, Hisense and TCL. Before long, those same tellies will start progressively cheaper as we lead into the second half of the year.
Speaking of, Samsung has just announced its crop of 2020 QLED TVs that include newer versions of the Q90, Q80, Q70 and Q60, and LG should have its 2020 OLEDs out in the next month or two.
If you can’t wait a few more months until new models arrive, however, there are plenty of amazing TVs from 2019 that are still well-worth buying – often at significantly reduced prices.
Below you’ll find a list of 10 TVs that we can wholeheartedly recommend to Aussies. That includes sets from the likes of TCL, which offer great performance at a really good price, and high-end options like QLED TVs from Samsung and OLEDs from LG.
We’re expecting a number of new television sets to hit the market in the coming months, but with 2020 only having just begun, we’re still recommending the best TVs from the previous year until their replacements officially come around.
Best TV at a glance:
- Samsung Q90R QLED TV
- LG C9 OLED Series
- Sony Bravia A8G OLED
- Samsung Q900R QLED TV
- Sony A9G Master Series OLED
- LG B9 OLED Series
- Samsung Q70R QLED TV
- Sony Bravia X9500G Series
- TCL X7 Series UHD QLED
- LG SK85 Super UHD
1. Samsung Q90R QLED TV
Bright and beautiful but still missing some key components
65-inch: QA65Q90R | 75-inch: QA75Q90R
Superb picture quality
Incredible HDR performance
Wider viewing angles
Comprehensive smart platform
No Dolby Vision
Last year, the Samsung Q9FN was the TV to beat. It won plaudits galore for its features and image quality, not to mention its excellent, improved smart platform that came with Bixby support and Samsung SmartThings.
However it wasn’t perfect and there were legitimate complaints about viewing angles and an over-aggressive local dimming system that crushed detail just above black.
Samsung has clearly taken these criticisms to heart, and directly addressed them in the Q90. The new model has a visibly superior viewing angle that holds its own against an OLED TV, and the local dimming delivers deep blacks without losing shadow detail. To that end, the new Ultra Black Elite filter is nothing short of a revelation, rejecting ambient light in a way that just staggers belief.
The Q90 is able to deliver images that can directly compete with an OLED, with natural colors, bright highlights, deep blacks, and well defined shadows. It can also surpass any OLED when it comes to HDR, with images that are often breathtaking in their detail and dynamic range.
In fact our only real criticism would be that, unlike some of the competition, the Q90 doesn’t support Dolby Vision. However in all other respects the Samsung Q90 is an absolutely stellar TV that takes QLED to another level.
Read the full review: Samsung Q90R QLED TV
Samsung QN65Q90RAFXZA Flat…
2. LG C9 OLED Series
LG’s new OLED has evolved into the smartest TV on the planet
55-inch: LG OLED55C9 | 65-inch: LG OLED65C9
Superb picture quality
Comprehensive features
Highly effective smart platform
Limited peak brightness for HDR
No HDR10+ support
As is the case with all OLED TVs the panel brightness pales when compared to an LCD TV, but brightness isn’t everything. The absolute blacks and pixel level of precision afforded by the self-emissive technology ensures that HDR looks stunning. There’s support for Dolby Vision as well, and only the absence of HDR10+ disappoints.
There are other OLEDs worth considering this year (see: LG’s own E9 Series) but we think the OLED C9 offers the best price-to-performance ratio of any TV under the sun – true in 2019, and still true in 2020.
Read the full review: LG C9 OLED (OLED55C9, OLED65C9, OLED77C9)
LG OLED55C9PUA Alexa Built-in…
LG OLED65C9PUA Alexa Built-in…
3. Sony Bravia A8G OLED
Sony’s latest OLED may be expensive, but it’s totally worth the price.
55-inch: Sony KD55A8G | 65-inch: Sony KD65A8G
Amazing 4K HDR performance
Ultra-customizable picture
Best motion processing
Middling sound quality
Fairly expensive
IR remote isn’t great
If there’s one thing that the A8G OLED proves, it’s that Sony remains the king of upscaling. In our review, we found that the Sony Brave A8G OLED was able to take old DVD HD/SDR footage and making it look modern, producing natural visuals and incredibly fluid motion.
Admittedly, we’re not too crazy about Sony’s Acoustic Audio Surface tech, or the IR blaster remote that comes with the telly, but there’s no denying that delivers the goods when it comes to its most important aspect: picture quality.
That being said, Sony’s AG8 is still on the expensive side, especially compared to the LG B9 and C9 OLED. Both TVs cost much less and offer much of the same picture quality at a more attainable price point, however, it’s our opinion that Sony’s incredible upscaling tech does justify the increased cost.
Read the full review: Sony Bravia A8G OLED
Sony XBR-55A8G 55 Inch TV:…
Sony – 55″ Class – OLED – A8G…
4. Samsung Q900R QLED TV
An 8K LCD-LED TV for the history books
65-inch: QA65Q900R | 75-inch: QA75Q900R | 82-inch: QA82Q900R
8K pictures look immense
Incredible brightness and color
Ground breaking upscaling
Expensive
Not much true 8K content
With most people – *cough* content providers – only just getting to grips with 4K resolution, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Samsung had gone nuts by introducing the world’s first true 8K TV. And yet, while it’s easy to be critical about the Samsung Q900R, it truly does usher in a new era of TV picture quality.
Its native 8K pictures are incredible, looking just like the real world – only better. But even more crucially given the dearth of true 8K content for the foreseeable future, the Q900R makes all today’s lower resolution sources look better than they do anywhere else, too.
Whether 8K delivers the same impact on smaller screens remains to be seen, but if you have a big enough room and budget, the Q900R is a vision of the future that’s actually spectacularly worth buying today.
Read the full review (UK version): Samsung Q950R 8K QLED TV
5. Sony A9G Master Series OLED
Equipped with the X1 Ultimate processor, the A9G is Sony’s killer OLED
77-inch: KD77A9G | 65-inch: KD65A9G | 55-inch: KD55A9G
Luscious 4K HDR images
Best-in-class HD upscaling
Acoustic Surface+ audio
Android TV is clunky
No support for HDR10+
This is a screen that looks premium, and has a spec on the right side of righteous. The Android platform is easy to live with, that vibrating sound system entertaining and picture quality top notch. Offering Dolby Vision is a welcome refinement, but the caveat is a lack of support for HDR10+. That said, it does a fabulous job up-scaling HD/SDR so it’s easy to overlook the lack of at least one HDR format.
It’s undoubtedly expensive but, all things considered, this glass is class.
Read the full review: Sony A9G Master Series OLED
6. LG B9 OLED Series
LG’s budget OLED delivers 95% of the performance at 50% of the cost
55-inch: LG OLED55B9 | 65-inch: LG OLED65B9
LG’s cheapest 2019 OLED
Rich colors and sharp detail
webOS smart platform
Not the latest processing
Some noise in dark scenes
No HDR10+
The LG B9 OLED absolutely delivers on its promise – to give shoppers a cheaper way into a world of OLED, with the sharp contrast and vivid colors that involves.
Inevitably there are some corners cut to get there, and you’re not getting the excellent experience of the C9 or E9 – while the delayed launch of the budget B9 model, and continuing price cuts to more premium sets, means this year’s B Series isn’t quite the deal it would have been a few months ago.
If the B9 is all your budget allows for, it’s a solid purchase, though scrimping and saving for the LG C9 OLED – and keeping an eye out for it in sales – may be a better decision in the long run.
LG 55″ Class OLED B9 Series…
7. Samsung Q70R QLED TV
The Q70R is a solid mid-range model that has most of the flagship’s shine
55-inch: Samsung QA55Q75R | 65-inch: Samsung QA65Q75R
Extremely bright HDR pictures
Exceptional contrast
Good smart TV system
Limited viewing angle
Some mild backlight blooming
No Dolby Vision
Samsung’s flagship Q90R QLED TV blew us away recently with its wider viewing angles, deeper blacks, and superior HDR images – sadly, however, not everyone can afford the flagship model. So what can Samsung offer for those wanting to experience QLED picture quality on a budget?
Despite sitting lower down in the QLED line-up, the Q70R includes the same comprehensive smart platform, extensive connections, and cutting-edge features found further up the range. This isn’t the flashiest-looking TV that Samsung has ever made, but if your funds are limited the Q70 is a cracking QLED all-rounder that’s worth checking out.
Read the full review: Samsung Q70R QLED TV
Samsung QN55Q70RAFXZA Flat…
8. Sony Bravia X9500G Series
A beautiful 4K HDR TV that desperately needs an attached soundbar
65-inch: Sony Bravia KD65X9500G
X1 Ultimate Processor
Netflix Calibrated Mode
Motion handling, 4K upscaling
Poor sound quality
Mediocre 4K/HDR black levels
OK, so you don’t want (or can’t afford) Sony’s new A9G OLED or the fantastic-but-pricey Z9G. So what should you buy? Check out the X9500G series. With superb 4K image clarity, powerful SDR-to-HDR remastering, and a smooth direct LED backlight, Sony is offering something very different with the X9500G.
Right out of the box, the best way to describe the image quality of the X9500G is… well, natural. It’s not flashy. It’s not overly bright. Colors aren’t oversaturated. It’s just a really natural picture with subdued colors and great black levels perfect for HD/SDR content. That said, if you’re the kind of person that wants a bit more pop to your images all you need to do is turn on Live Color in the picture settings. This mode works on HD/SDR content to add a bit more color saturation to the image and helps to make the image ‘pop’ in a way that really grabs your attention.
It’s a shame that poor sound quality ruined such a great 4K/HDR TV, however, taken by itself, the Sony X9500G is an immaculate screen with a ton of potential.
Read the full review: Sony BRAVIA X950G (XBR-65X950G)
9. TCL X7 Series UHD QLED
TCL delivers a high-quality television package at an attractive price
55-inch: TCL 65X7
Very good value for money
Classy styling
Good picture quality
Still some wobbles in the smart stuff
Minor deinterlacing issues
The first thing you’ll notice about the TCL X7 series is its beautiful display panel. It is remarkable in that physically one could almost mistake it for an OLED panel. It has a similar pane-of-glass look which is very modern in its styling.
If you’re after a TV with plenty of smarts, TCL has you covered, as the X7 Series runs on Android 8.0 ‘Oreo’. as this is an Android TV, it does implement Google Assistant voice control. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa, albeit with a bit of hoop-jumping involving TCL Alexa skills.
In terms of raw power, the X7 It is fitted with a 1.1GHz, 64-bit quad-core CPU with 2.5GB of processing RAM. Occasionally, this resulted in some minor judder and artefacting with 1080i/50 and 576i/50 content, but this shouldn’t prove too much of an issue.
This telly offers Ultra HD (4K) resolution and HDR picture support (although not Dolby Vision), and thanks to the inclusion of 16 local dimming zones, the X7 is able to produce some wonderfully deep black levels. It’s also a QLED TV, which uses quantum dots to deliver improved colour precision – an impressive feat given its price point.
10. LG SK85 Super UHD
An LED television to ThinQ long and hard about
55-inch: LG 55SK8500 | 65-inch: LG 65SK8500
Improved blacks
Impressive AI features
Terrific color accuracy
Fluid motion
Excellent viewing angles
Backlighting is noticeable
LG’s webOS an acquired taste
Speakers lack bass
Traditional thinking would suggest that your new telly must be of the OLED or QLED variety. However, we’re here to tell you that there are still some very good standard LED televisions available that offer terrific 4K HDR picture quality and modern AI-based features.
LG’s LG SK85 Super UHD is one such telly. Though it still sports an edge-lit backlighting system, it’s still able to produce relative good black levels. It also boasts fantastic colour accuracy (thanks to the inclusion of Dolby Vision support) and exceptionally fluid motion, which is of the utmost importance when considering a new TV purchase.
Additionally, the LG SK85 boasts the company’s ThinQ AI platform, allowing you to speak directly to your television in order to issue commands or ask questions, such as what the weather is going to be like tomorrow.
Read the full review: LG SK85 Super UHD
Continue on to page two to read about what to look for when buying a TV!
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