TV brands compared: LG vs Samsung vs Sony vs Panasonic vs Philips vs TCL vs Hisense

LG has been the biggest name in OLED TVs for over a decade, and the G6 is its 2026 flagship at 65 inches. It pairs LG's best OLED panel and Alpha 11 processor with a slim gallery design meant to hang flush on the wall.

LG's strength is balance. The G6 has four full HDMI 2.1 inputs with up to 165Hz, VRR, G-Sync and FreeSync, so it is the easiest flagship to recommend to gamers who own more than one console. webOS is fast and clean, and LG promises software updates to the end of 2030 for its 2026 OLEDs.

The main gaps are HDR10+, which LG does not support (Dolby Vision is supported instead), and a glossy screen that reflects more than Samsung's matte finish. The UK model ending in LW is the wall-mount version, so check what stand is supplied if you want it on furniture.

On price, LG flagships sit in the premium bracket, and the step-down C6 offers most of the experience for less.

Samsung is the world's largest TV brand and covers every technology from Crystal UHD to Neo QLED Mini LED and QD-OLED. In the UK and Ireland its 2026 flagship OLED at 65 inches is the S99H, which uses a QD-OLED panel for bright, highly saturated colour.

The headline feature is the matte Glare Free screen. It is designed to cut reflections from lamps and windows far better than a glossy OLED, which makes this the strongest flagship here for a bright living room. Four 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports up to 165Hz suit gamers, and an optional Wireless One Connect box can add four more inputs.

Samsung's long-standing quirk is HDR format support: it backs HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision. Tizen is quick and includes Samsung TV Plus free channels, and both Bixby and Alexa are built in. The thin built-in speakers make a soundbar a good idea, ideally a Samsung model to use Q-Symphony.

Samsung flagships launch at the top of the price range.

For 2026 Sony has made its flagship an LCD rather than an OLED. The Bravia 9 II uses what Sony calls True RGB, a Mini LED backlight made of separate red, green and blue LEDs instead of white or blue ones. Sony's aim is very high brightness with richer, purer colour than a normal Mini LED TV.

Sony's XR processing remains a highlight, especially for motion and upscaling, and the natural look it favours is the brand's calling card. As a backlit LCD, though, it cannot match the pixel-level control of the best OLEDs in dark scenes, and the dimming can occasionally be tripped up by small bright objects.

It is typical Sony on connections: four HDMI inputs but only two full HDMI 2.1, one shared with eARC, so it suits film fans more than multi-console gamers. Dolby Vision is supported, HDR10+ is not. Built-in sound is an 80W Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system with Atmos and DTS:X.

Sony usually prices its flagships at the very top of the market.

Panasonic is best known for cinema-accurate picture tuning, which it develops with Hollywood colourists. Its flagship OLED, the Z95B, launched in 2025 and Panasonic confirmed it continues through 2026, as no Z95C replacement has launched in the UK or Europe.

It uses a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel with Panasonic's cooling for high brightness. Unusually, it supports both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, so it can use whichever HDR format a streaming service sends.

The big differentiator is sound. A built-in 360 Soundscape Pro system rated at 170W, with up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos, is good enough that many people will not need a soundbar. Panasonic now uses Amazon's Fire TV platform, which includes Freely for UK channels and Alexa voice control.

Gamers should note only two HDMI 2.1 ports, though it reaches 144Hz. If you want one box that handles both picture and sound well, it is the most complete flagship here.

Philips TVs are designed in Europe by TP Vision and are famous for Ambilight, LED lighting on the back of the set that extends the picture onto the wall. The OLED+951 is the 2026 flagship, available in 65 and 77 inches.

It uses LG Display's newest Primary RGB Tandem panel, with Philips claiming peak brightness up to 4,500 nits, driven by the 10th-generation P5 dual-engine processor. Unlike LG, Samsung and Sony, Philips supports every major HDR format, now including Dolby Vision 2 Max, plus HDR10+.

Gaming support is excellent, with four HDMI 2.1 ports, 165Hz and VRR. Four-sided Ambilight with AmbiScape adds ambient lighting and sound effects that no other brand here offers.

The weak point is the smart platform: Philips now uses Titan OS, which covers the main streaming services but has a smaller app library than Google TV. Philips flagships are positioned close to LG and Sony equivalents, and availability varies by country.

TCL's C8L is the brand's premium Mini LED for 2026 in the UK and Ireland, using what TCL calls Super Quantum Dots (SQD) to widen the colour range. TCL positions it as a clear step up from the 2025 C8K, with 2,040 dimming zones at 65 inches.

TCL's spec sheets list four HDMI 2.1 inputs, all at 48Gbps, with 4K 144Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. TCL's UK page adds a 288Hz Game Accelerator mode at 1080p for PC gamers. Unusually, it supports both Dolby Vision (including IQ) and HDR10+, and TCL promises Dolby Vision 2 by a future update.

There are caveats. TCL does not market an anti-glare coating, so lamps and windows will reflect more than on a matte Samsung or Sony set, and as with any backlit LCD, blooming can become visible if you sit well off to the side. The default Eco settings reduce brightness, so you may want to switch them off. The Bang & Olufsen 2.1.2 system is a step up from typical TV speakers but will still benefit from a soundbar for bass.

The 65-inch costs noticeably more than the 65-inch C7L, which makes this size less of a bargain than others in the range, but it carries the better specification.

Hisense, like TCL, built its reputation on value, but its 2026 flagship UR9 aims straight at the premium brands. It uses an RGB Mini LED backlight with separate red, green and blue LEDs, the same idea as Sony's Bravia 9 II, for bright and saturated HDR.

Hisense pitches a well-controlled backlight and a bright, cinematic HDR picture, though as a backlit LCD OLED still looks more solid in dark scenes and viewing angles are narrower.

It is the most PC-friendly TV here: Hisense's spec lists a 170Hz panel and three 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports, and a DisplayPort input is listed by retailers. It supports every HDR format, including Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive. A 4.1.2-channel Devialet-tuned speaker system with up-firing drivers should deliver big sound for a TV.

In the UK and Europe it runs Hisense's VIDAA platform rather than Google TV, so check that your favourite music and gaming apps are available. It is priced close to OLED flagships, so wait for a discount.