Need to know
- Our expert TV reviews cover more than 30 popular TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL, Hisense and more
- We rate key factors including picture quality, remote, user interface, sound and energy use
- Become a CHOICE member to see the full reviews and best performers
It's going to take up prime position in your living room and provide countless enjoyable hours of Netflix bingeing, sports watching or movie marathoning, so the choice of which TV to buy is an important one.
TVs are one of the most popular discounted items come sale time, and you'll also likely find lots of offers at non-traditional sale times, too, as retailers try to offload unsold stock to make way for new models.
All under control: CHOICE TV expert Scott O'Keefe in our labs.
But our experts urge caution if you're in the market for a new TV: retailers might discount some good-quality TVs, but they also discount plenty of mediocre models, too.
And no-one wants to be stuck with poor picture quality and sub-par sound for years to come.
To help you sort the star performers from the B-grade extras, our TV experts test about 45 models in our lab each year.
We evaluate key factors you want to know about, including picture quality, sound, remote, energy use, user interface and more.
Covering more than 90% of the market, we review popular brands such as LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and Hisense, as well as lesser known ones such as Chiq, Ffalcon and Aldi's house brand, Bauhn.
Do you even need a new TV?
Before you get swept up in the sales hype, stop and think about whether you actually need that new TV at all. (We're not trying to be killjoys, we promise!)
If you're happy with the picture quality of your existing TV but feel like it's just not smart enough, you don't necessarily need to buy a new one – you can simply smarten up the TV you already own.
CHOICE TV expert Denis Gallagher explains how to turn a regular TV into a smart TV to breathe new life into your older model and save yourself hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars.
Five TVs to avoid buying in the sales
In our most recent lab tests, our experts found some terrific TVs alongside some more mediocre models.
We don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
Aldi's 40-inch TV: not worth queuing for.
Bauhn (Aldi, with WebOS) ATV40UHDW-0124
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 61%
- Size: 40 inches
- Price: $329
This Aldi TV uses the operating software of an LG and even uses the LG content store for app updates.
It may look like an LG and talk like an LG… but it definitely doesn't perform like an LG.
Even at this price, it's just not worth queuing for
With TVs, it's all about the picture and sound quality and this TV isn't great on either front.
Picture quality across standard definition, HDR and 4K was rated as 'Borderline' at best, and our experts said its sound quality had "almost no power at all; can only just hear details; sounds like a distant mobile phone".
Even at this price, it's just not worth queuing for.
Read the full Bauhn ATV40UHDW-0124 review.
Big screen, low price, middling performance: the TCL 65P745.
TCL 65P745
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $795
This is one of the cheapest 65-inch TVs we've tested, so if you're looking to go big, it's understandable that you'd be tempted by its low price.
But don't pull out your credit card just yet. This model is far from good value for money, unless you're a fan of ordinary picture quality and so-so sound.
This is one of the cheapest 65-inch TVs we've tested, but it's far from good value for money
It's not all bad news: it has excellent smart TV functions and very good energy use and user interface. But these aren't really compelling selling points when picture and audio performance are both so average.
If you're looking for a big screen on a budget, our TV experts found a number of models that perform better for around the same price or just a little more.
Read the full TCL 65P745 review.
The Samsung QA65Q60DAWXXY: you can do better.
Samsung QA65Q60DAWXXY
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $1895
Samsung makes plenty of great TVs, but this model shows that even respected brands can sometimes create disappointing products – which is why it's best to always check our reviews before you shop.
High definition picture quality is underwhelming on this TV, and it doesn't even manage to deliver decent standard definition picture quality. (Our experts rated it just 'OK' for standard, and 'Borderline' for HD viewing.)
The visuals aren't great, but neither is the sound: again, it's only OK and our testers noted occasional distortion during testing.
For this price it's reasonable to expect far better performance
While the user interface is excellent, the remote isn't, which is a downer – there's not much point having a great interface if you struggle to actually interact with it.
You can easily spend far more than $1895 on a 65-inch TV, but it's still reasonable to expect far better performance at this price point.
Read the full Samsung QA65Q60DAWXXY review.
This $3K Samsung is no better than an $800 Kogan TV.
Samsung QA65QN85DBWXXY
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $2995
For around $1100 more than the Samsung above, you can buy... a different 65-inch Samsung that's not much better.
The two are neck and neck on most of our tests, but the more expensive Samsung isn't sufficiently far ahead to justify the extra money.
The Samsung QA65QN85DBWXXY delivers ho-hum picture quality – both for HD and SD – disappointing sound, and a remote that's not exactly a joy to use.
For the same price – or even less – you could pick up a 65-inch TV that's recommended by our experts
Perhaps more embarrassingly for Samsung, however, is that this $2995 television rated no better than the $829 Kogan below. That's a huge $2166 difference between two equally mediocre TVs.
For the same price as the QA65QN85DBWXXY – or even less – you could pick up a 65-inch TV that's recommended by our experts.
Read the full Samsung QA65QN85DBWXXY review.
You'll get what you pay for with this Kogan 65-inch TV.
Kogan KAQLED65XQ98JSTA
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $829
It may be a bargain even at full price, but you'll pretty much get what you pay for with this Kogan 65-inch TV.
Our expert testers were disappointed with its standard and HDR picture quality and found the 4K picture pale.
It may be a bargain even at full price, but you'll pretty much get what you pay for
On a positive note, it has excellent smart TV functions and a very good user interface, so even if the picture is average at least it's easy to use.
Regardless, it's not one to add to your cart, even if you find it at a great price in the sales.
Read the full Kogan KAQLED65XQ98JSTA review.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
