Best 65-inch 4K TVs 2018: the best big screen TVs for any budget

Anybody can sit down on their couch and watch a movie, but if you’re looking to bring yourself as close as possible to the director’s true vision, the best 65-inch 4K TVs are far and away the best way to do exactly that. These titanic displays will make every other TV you’ve seen in your life to shame – they’ll truly transport you to an entirely new world of film.

There is, of course, a natural drawback that these TVs have – they’re big. Really big. However, you shouldn’t let that dissuade you from elevating your cinematic experience, as the minute you sit down to take in your favorite media on that gigantic screen, you’ll know it was totally worth it.

Screen size isn’t the only thing that these beautiful TVs excel at though. Every major TV manufacturer on the block is focused entirely on packing the best 65-inch 4K TVs with all the latest and greatest technologies and features. You should pay extra attention to any TV that features OLED screen technology, which allows for out-of-this-world contrast ratios. Samsung even has their own mind-blowing (though similar) tech in their QLED displays. And as a cherry on top of that high-definition cake, all the best 65-inch 4K TVs will feature a 4K Ultra HD resolution and stunning HDR tech, both of which are absolutely essential if you’re looking for the best 65-inch TV you can buy in 2018. 

Anyway, it’s time to dive into the meat of the issue: which are the best 65-inch TVs? This list will guide you through eight of the best 65-inch TVs you can buy today. And, don’t go thinking that we just threw a bunch of TVs on this list willy-nilly – each TV here has been tested, reviewed and ranked by the TechRadar editorial staff – so you know they basically have to be good. So, sit back, relax, and get ready to revitalize your living room.

1. The Best 65-inch TV of 2017: LG OLED65C7

Stunning pictures at an affordable price puts OLED back on top

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview Play | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: webOS 3.5 | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.2 x 34.4 x 8.5 inches (W x H x D)

Stunning contrast-rich pictures

Gorgeous ultra-thin design

Excellent operating system

Lacks brightness vs LCD

Standing far above the competition and sitting comfortably on the throne is the LG OLED C7, available in a 65-inch variety as well as a 55-inch. This TV is a fantastic high dynamic range performer, thanks to its improved light control and brightness over last year’s C6, somehow achieving this without making any compromises to OLED’s fantastic standard dynamic range performance. But, what really makes the OLED C7 one of 2017’s most essential TVs is that it is able to deliver this exciting technology at a price that finally makes OLED an affordable alternative to high-end LCD TVs.

There are other OLEDs worth considering this year (see: Sony’s A1E OLED or LG’s B7 and W7) but when you sit down and think about just how much LG’s OLED C7 offers for its price, there’s just no TV this year that even comes close.

Read the full review for the 55-inch version: LG OLED C7 (OLED55C7)

2. The best mid-range 65-inch TV: Sony XBR-65X900E

Sleek, capable and almost what we’d consider affordable

Screen size: 65-inches | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: Direct-lit LCD with local dimming | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1,447 x 830 x 60 mm (W x H x D)

Excellent motion handling

Great contrast

HDR isn’t the brightest

Remote doesn’t feel as premium

While LCD TVs are simply incapable of reaching the same black levels that OLED displays can, Sony’s X900E’s HDR features do a pretty good job of at least bringing it within reaching distance.

This is possible because of the panels direct LED backlight, which allows it to achieve a brightness uniformity that edge-lit displays are incapable of producing. 

Add in phenomenal detail and motion handling, the Sony Bravia XBR-65X900E (called the KD-65XE90 in the UK) strikes a fantastic balance between price and performance for mid-range 4K TVs and is well worth considering … even if its Android TV interface can feel a little clunky, and its remote a little flimsy.  .    

Read the full review: Sony BRAVIA XBR-65X900E

3. The best TV from last year: Panasonic TX-65DX902B

2016’s best 65-inch screen holds on for a second year

Screen size: 65-inches | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: LED | Smart TV: Custom Panasonic | Curved: Yes | Dimensions: 1,448 x 913 x 311 mm

Astoundingly vibrant 4K HDR 

4K Netflix and Amazon onboard

Upscaling isn’t the best

Audio could use some work

The first Ultra HD Premium-rated TV to land in the UK was a real head-turner. We loved the vibrancy of its images, and the native HDR the picture performance bordered on breathtaking. The full array backlight presented problems (don’t think we forgot), but we reckon the visual benefits probably outweigh content-specific backlighting issues.

Having Netflix and Amazon 4K on tap is a major plus point, and more good news is that it can also look pretty great with Full HD content, particularly Blu-ray.

It might not have the hutzpah to overtake some of this year’s best and brightest panels from LG and Samsung, but considering how well it performs for its price, it may very well be the screen to convince you that HDR is the next giant quantum leap in image quality we’ve all been promised. 

Read the full review: Panasonic TX-65DX902B

• This product is only available in the UK as of this writing. US and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Sony XBR-65X850E.

4. The best premium 65-inch TV: Sony BRAVIA A1E OLED

Sony’s brand-new flagship TV for 2017 is returning to OLED

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Youview | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1228 x 711 x 86mm (W x H x D)

Gorgeous picture quality

Innovative and excellent sound

It’s not very bright

Android TV is clunky

If you have the money to bankroll them, the 65A1E – and the A1E OLED series overall – are crowd pleasers in just about every way. Their ‘picture only’ design has been beautifully realized, managing to be simultaneously subtle and dramatic. Their vibrating screen delivers a far more powerful and effective sound performance than we’d ever thought possible.  

The real stars of the show here, though, are the A1’s exquisitely detailed, contrast-rich and colorful pictures. These prove emphatically what we’ve long suspected: More brands using OLED technology can only lead to good things. 

Read the full review: Sony Bravia OLED A1E

5. For bright HDR pictures: Samsung QE65Q9FAM

Turns out 1,500 nits peak brightness really brings out the best in HDR

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: QLED | Smart TV: Tizen | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1450 x 829.3 x 24.9mm (W x H x D)

Fantastic color levels

Very bright screen

HDR color banding can occur

Backlight clouding can be an issue

Samsung was the first brand to introduce an HDR-compatible screen way back in 2015, but it’s not been resting on its haunches ever since. 

It’s latest flagship, the QN65Q9F (QE65Q9FAM in the UK), is a perfect example of this. It ups the brightness to 1500 nits, 50% higher than the level required for UHD Premium certification, making it one of the brightest TV we’ve ever tested. 

Outside of an impressive-sounding number this brightness has a real impact on the set’s image quality. Detail is preserved in even the brightest areas of the image, and colors are exceptionally vivid and bright. That means even non-HDR content looks fantastic thanks to Samsung’s SDR upscaling technology. 

No TV is perfect, and the Q9F can occasionally suffer from some backlight clouding around bright objects and some settings cause color striping in HDR colors, but in all other respects this is the best television around at the moment. 

Read the full review: Samsung Q9F QLED TV

6. For the cinephile in your life: Sony XBR-65Z9D

Don’t forget about Sony’s 2016 flagship 65-inch screen

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview HD and FreeSat HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: LCD with direct LED lighting and local dimming | Smart TV: Android | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1462 x 847 x 78mm (W x H x D)

Brilliant SDR picture quality

Ground-breaking backlight

LOOK AT THAT PRICE TAG

Limited effective viewing angle

Look, there aren’t many people out there willing to drop a few months’ of rent on Sony’s 2016 flagship TV. But those who are will be teated to some of best images this side of a high-tech movie theater. 

In fact, it might just be the holy grail of television for 2016: a TV able to combine the extreme, high dynamic range-friendly brightness of LCD technology with a 600 LED backlight arrangement capable of getting LCD closer than ever before to the stunning light control you get with OLED technology.

If all that wasn’t enough, the 65Z9D also sports the ‘X1 Extreme’ video processing system and the latest version of Sony’s reliable Triluminos wide color technology for unlocking the extended color spectrums associated with HDR sources – a must-have if you want to get the most from your movie collection.

Read the full review: Sony XBR-65Z9D

• This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Samsung QE65Q9FAM 

7. The best entry-level OLED: LG OLED65B7

LG’s entry level OLEDs continue to impress

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview Play, Freeview Satellite | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: webOS 3.5 | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.1 x 34.7 x 8.9 inches (W x H x D)

Excellent all-round image quality

Complete HDR support

No Dolby Atmos passthrough

Mediocre onboard audio

LG’s ‘B’ line of OLEDs has consistently offered a great entry point into the display technology without compromising on what makes it so exciting. 

And the B7 series is no different. 

Contained within the TVs is exactly the same panel that’s powering the more expensive C7, E7 and yes even the W7 LG televisions, which means an exceptional bump over last year’s OLED panels at a much lower price. 

So where has LG saved the money? In a word, sound. The B7’s downward firing speakers are the worst all the company’s OLED TVs. Not only that, but the set is also currently unable to pass Dolby Atmos to an external sound system over HDMI (although a firmware update to fix this is on the way). 

If however, you’re content to put up with a standard surround sound experience, then the B7 is a fantastic entryway into a piece of TV tech that still feels futuristic in 2017. 

Read the full review of the 55-inch vesion: LG OLED C7 (OLED55C7)

8. For budget performers: Sony XBR-65X850E

A 4K HDR TV that doesn’t destroy your bank account

Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: FreeView HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: LCD | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1,454 x 905 x 266 mm

Great value

Good HDR pictures

HDR isn’t very bright

Android TV is frustrating

By introducing its exceptional X1 video processor further down its TV range than ever before and being brave enough to dial down the brightness a bit to deliver a more even, immersive backlight experience, Sony’s struck mid-range gold with the XBR-65X850E (KD-65XE8596 in the UK). 

While it’s not the brightest or most colorful TV on the list, the simple fact is that few TVs we’ve seen in recent times have balanced price, contrast, brightness and color quite so all-round effectively as the 65X850E.

All that said, if you’re looking for a great TV that doesn’t destroy the bank account, Sony’s X850E 65-inch star is the clear winner.

Read the full review: Sony XBR-65X850E

• If you’re looking to optimize your home theater setup, check out our list of the best AV Receivers.

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