Need to know
- Our expert TV reviews cover more than 35 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 likely find plenty of offers outside of regular sales periods too, as retailers try to offload unsold stock to make way for new models.
CHOICE tech expert Peter Zaluzny has his eye on all the latest TVs.
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 over 35 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, along with 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.
The TVs that received the lowest scores in our testing
In our most recent lab tests, our experts found some terrific TVs alongside some very underwhelming units.
We don't want you to end up with a dud, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests.
Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
The ChiQ U65M10F
ChiQ U65M10F
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 66%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $899
Yes, this 65-inch TV seems like an absolute steal at $899 (or less if you get it on sale), but there's a reason it's priced so low.
It might look impressive at first glance, but it underperforms on some of the most important things you want a TV to do: make whatever you're watching look good and sound good.
Picture quality is ordinary in both standard and high definition and our experts say the sound is dull and lacks presence (it doesn't feel like the audio is filling the room). Even the 4K picture was a bit flat and pale.
It seems like an absolute steal at $899, but there's a reason it's priced so low
Remember too that a large TV like this might not be suitable for your space: the larger the TV, the further away you'll need to sit for the best viewing experience.
Our experts recommend a viewing distance of around 248cm from a 65-inch screen, so if your lounge room isn't particularly large, you'll be better off with a smaller TV anyway – which means you might be able to get a better view for around the same or less money.
Our guide to measuring and choosing the right TV size will help you find the right size for your viewing pleasure.
Read the full ChiQ U65M10F review.
The Hisense 65Q6QAU
Hisense 65Q6QAU
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $1299
A $400 step up in price doesn't translate to a step up in quality. This Hisense might be more expensive than the ChiQ, but it's barely any better.
The high- and standard-definition picture quality is similarly disappointing and the remote isn't exactly a joy to use, with our experts rating it as only 'OK'.
A number of TVs that cost around the same perform far better, so we suggest looking elsewhere
It does deliver better sound quality, but it's still a bit boomy. Sometimes, this makes the rest of the audio pretty hard to hear, including dialogue.
A number of 65-inch TVs we've reviewed that cost around the same performed far better, so we suggest looking elsewhere.
Read the full Hisense 65Q6QAU review.
Samsung QA65Q7FAAWXXY
Samsung QA65Q7FAAWXXY
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $1799
We've seen lots of new TVs that look great in 4K but pretty average in all other respects. This TV falls into this exact trap – 4K looks good to very good (depending on the settings) but SD and HD are only OK.
While 4K is readily available on streaming services and discs, the majority of movies and shows are still only available in SD and HD. That means $1799 will get you a TV that's only really good at one thing, and you won't be able to use that thing most of the time.
4K looks good to very good (depending on the settings) but SD and HD are only OK
The price point is a pretty hard sell as well. It's not hard to find TVs that match, or outperform, this Samsung screen for under $1500. Maybe it would be a better buy on sale, but a pretty steep discount would need to be applied.
Read the full Samsung QA65Q7FAAWXXY review.
The Toshiba 43C350NP
Toshiba 43C350NP
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Size: 43 inches
- Price: $599
There are some pretty decent small-screen TVs out there for budget conscious shoppers. This TV from Toshiba is not one of them. With this performance, it's probably worth around $399, but there's no reason this TV should cost more than $500.
SD picture quality is only OK, but HD is somehow worse, with only borderline results in our test. 4K has good colour and detail but it's still very contrasty and not that nice to look at. It also sounds flat, dull and distorted at times.
Your guests are going to have to get nice and cosy on movie night, because this TV's viewing angle is very narrow
Your guests are going to have to get nice and cosy on movie night too, because this TV's viewing angle is very narrow. Move a little bit to the left or right and picture quality goes way down.
Read the full Toshiba 43C350NP review.
Toshiba 65C350RP
Toshiba 65C350RP
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Size: 65 inches
- Price: $1095
Some picture quality concessions need to be made when you're shopping on a budget. You're not going to get the best screen in the world and that's fine – but you can do much better than this budget TV from Toshiba.
Everything falls apart in our HD video assessment. Its borderline HD score of 54% puts it among the worst performers in this part of our test, with SD picture quality only faring slightly better at the lower end of OK (61%).
Its borderline HD score of 54% puts it among the worst performers in this part of our test
There are also issues with build quality and performance. Our experts noticed some light bleed, which is when white blotches appear around the edge of the screen. There are also signs of artefacting, an issue that makes the picture break up and turn blocky, mainly during fast-moving scenes.
Read the full Toshiba 65C350RP review.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
