Best Smart TV for 2024: Top Picks From Roku, Amazon, Google and More

The picture quality of the TCL 4-Series Roku TV was only a slight step behind the Vizio V-Series (below) in our budget TV test, but we liked its Roku smart TV system better than Vizio’s SmartCast, so the TCL gets the top spot on this list. The 4-Series lacks the Dolby Vision, Bluetooth connectivity and AMD FreeSync with a variable refresh rate, all of which the Vizio offers, but in our book superior smart TV streaming is more important at the budget level.

Note that TCL has been selling the 4-Series for the last few years with little to no change in image quality or features in our tests, although it has recently added some larger screen sizes, including an 85-inch option.

The prices shown are for the 55-inch size.

When we compared the best budget TVs, the picture quality of Vizio V-Series clearly emerged as the leader of the pack. The Vizio offered the most balanced and accurate picture during our comparisons, and it comes with some useful extras such as Dolby Vision support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth compatibility, and variable refresh rate for potentially smoother gaming. 

The biggest downside of the Vizio is its smart TV platform, Vizio SmartCast. It’s crowded, slow, and littered with ads for platforms such as Tubi and Kidoodle TV. That’s why the TCL 4-Series with Roku gets the top slot. That said, if you value its image quality and extra features, you can always add a separate streaming device to this Vizio.

The prices shown are for the 50-inch size.

Competition among TVs in the middle pricing band is heating up, and the Plus Series is the latest entrant. Unlike the TCL Roku TVs higher on this list, this one is all Roku, with no other brands on board. It adds a couple of step-up extras, including QLED and full-array local dimming, which help deliver a better picture than the TCL 4-Series, for example. It’s not as impressive as the Vizio MQX, though, since it lacks 120Hz for gaming and has worse picture quality overall. If you value those extras, then the Vizio is worth saving for, but if not the Roku Plus Series is a very good value.

This is the first TV Roku has produced under its own brand, as opposed to partnering with a brand like TCL, Sharp, Pioneer, or Hisense. The company also released a version with fewer features and no local dimming, called the Roku Select Series.

The price shown below is for the 65-inch size.

Don’t look now, but there’s a new picture quality champ in town. The LG OLED G3 delivers the best image quality I’ve ever tested in my 20-plus years of doing TV reviews. It’s brighter than any other OLED TV and has a superior antireflective screen, for incredible performance in both bright and dark rooms. Compared directly to the Samsung S95C those traits helped it overcome a slight color deficit to the Samsung and propel it into best-ever territory. 

Of course, both it and the S95C cost hundreds more than less-expensive OLED TVs like the LG C3, and for most people, the difference isn’t worth it.

The G3 replaces the G2 and has an improved screen technology called MLA (for Micro Lens Array) that LG says is responsible for the G3’s superior brightness. The G3 series comes in four sizes (55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch) but the largest 83-inch size lacks MLA, so I don’t expect it to perform as well as the others.

The prices shown are for the 65-inch size.

I compared this TV side by side with the LG G3 above, and while I liked the G3 better overall, the Samsung S95C looked nearly as impressive. Its biggest advantage was color, thanks to Samsung’s quantum dot-infused take on OLED technology, aka QD-OLED. The S95C’s flowers, sunsets, and other colorful objects looked a bit more natural and impressive than on the G3 or, frankly, any other OLED TV I’ve tested. The G3 showed excellent color, too, and looked brighter and better overall, but it was very close. 

I also preferred Samsung’s design, with its unique external One Connect input box, if that’s a factor for you. Instead of inputs on the back panel, this TV houses them in a separate box that connects to the TV via a single cable, easing installation. The panel itself is also thinner than that of the G3.

The S95C replaces the S95B and is one of two QD-OLED series Samsung is making in 2024. The other, the S90C, isn’t as bright, according to Samsung, and costs less and has standard inputs on the back panel. 

 The prices shown are for the 65-inch size.

Looking for a high-end TV with spectacular image quality, but don’t want an OLED? The Samsung QN90B is your best bet. This TV uses QLED TV tech augmented by mini-LED for a brighter image than any OLED TV. The spectacular contrast of OLED still won out in our side-by-side tests, but the QN90B QLED screen comes closer than ever. 

The older version of this TV, the QN90A, remains on sale for hundreds less. It’s also an excellent performer but it’s slightly dimmer than the QN90B. It also lacks some of the 2022 model’s features, including the new game hub with cloud gaming. 

Samsung produces a number of QLED TVs, but the QN90B is among the highest-end, aside from versions with 8K resolution. This is a 2022 model, but the 2023 version, the QN90C, looks similar in terms of features and while we haven’t reviewed it, we expect it to deliver similar image quality. It’s also significantly more expensive.

The prices shown below are for the 65-inch size.