Need to know
- Our expert TV reviews cover more than 40 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.
CHOICE tech expert Peter Zaluzny has his eye on all the latest TV models.
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.
Three 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.
Eko K420FAT LCD TV
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 58%
- Size: 42 inches
- Price: $269
At the extremely low price of $269, this is one of the cheapest TVs in our test and, on the face of it, might seem like a bargain worth grabbing.
However, while we definitely see more expensive TVs in our testing that aren't up to scratch, this TV delivers the performance you'd expect given the low price tag. The brand, Eko, is exclusive to Big W, which now sells a variety of TVs at a fraction of the price of bigger brands. This one is a Full HD Android 11 TV with built-in Chromecast, allowing you to stream content from your smartphone, tablet or laptop directly to your TV.
This TV delivers the performance you'd expect given the low price tag
Unfortunately, CHOICE experts say, you're getting what you pay for – the sound quality is very poor (our experts gave it the very low score of 20%) and it scores just 51% for standard definition picture quality, which is very disappointing. We would love to be able to suggest a cheap model for you to consider, but we just can't!
Generally our testers find that the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on Eko TVs is not very user friendly, and the remote on this TV also lacks some of the features we'd usually expect to see. So it will likely be tricky to use for people who aren't too tech savvy. If you have a small budget, it's worth trying to save up an extra couple of hundred dollars to buy a TV that performs better in our testing.
Read the full Eko K420FAT LCD TV review.
Konka UDE50QR315ANT 50-inch LCD TV
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 61%
- Size: 50 inches
- Price: $389
We purchased this low-cost TV from the Bunnings' online marketplace and, well, perhaps they should just stick to selling hardware, plants and sizzling snags. Konka is a brand that can be found floating around other online retailers such as Amazon and eBay and while the low price tag may seem enticing, be aware that this is another case of very much getting what you pay for.
We found this TV to have poor sound quality – our experts described it as 'very tinny and hollow with very little detail'
Just like the Eko TV above, we found this TV to have poor sound quality – our experts described it as 'very tinny and hollow with very little detail' – and the Electronic Program Guide is also not very easy to use (our CHOICE experts gave this aspect a score of just 10%).
It performed better on factors such as its relatively low energy consumption and how well it delivers 4k quality video content, however this is one budget buy that won't give you bang for your buck.
Read the full Konka UDE50QR315ANT 50-inch LCD TV review.
The Samsung QA65Q60DAWXXY: you can do better.
Samsung QA65Q60DAWXXY
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Size: 64 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.
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With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
