When you're buying a TV, CNET always recommends going big, if you have the space for it. Correspondingly, a 65-inch TV is the sweet spot for most living rooms. This makes the TV big enough to feel immersive for watching and gaming, but without overwhelming the room. Plus, 65 inches is one of the most common and popular TV sizes out there, giving you plenty of options. To help you find the best 65-inch TV for your space and your budget, I've rounded up the best models I've reviewed in the CNET lab.
Who is it best for: The TCL QM8K offers performance that approaches OLED but at a significant discount, making it suited to people who want a great picture for the least amount of money.
Pros
- The TCL QM8K has great picture quality
- Very few haloing artifacts
- New Filmmaker mode helps create more accurate pictures
Cons
- Still bright, but dimmer than the TV it replaced
- Worse input lag with games
Who is it best for: If you're looking for the best possible picture and don't mind paying for it, the LG G6 stands out in the 4K OLED TV market. It's great for home theater fans, but is also perfect for use in lit rooms thanks to the improved anti-reflective coating.
Pros
- The LG G6 has excellent contrast
- Antireflective coating is one of the best
- Its brightness is great for gaming
Cons
- Green tinge on off-axis viewing
- Not as color accurate as the LG G5
Who is it best for: The Samsung S90F offers the holy grail for gamers -- excellent picture quality, fast response times and high brightness -- and at a much more affordable price than the step-up S95F.
Pros
- The Samsung S90F boasts excellent image quality
- Fast motion for gamers
Cons
- It's expensive
- It lacks the step-up model's glare free coating
Who is it best for: Whether you're a gamer or just want a TV that will fit in the bedroom the Hisense QD7QF is a really good choice. It has a very punchy picture for the money and plenty of streaming options.
Pros
- The best picture quality I've ever seen under $500
- This TV boasts excellent black levels and shadow detail
- Best response times in its class for gaming
Cons
- Fire TV interface is less user-friendly than a Roku TV
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What is the best 65-inch TV right now?
After testing many of the best TVs for the money, my favorite 65-inch TV for most people right now is the TCL QM8K series. Even though it's been replaced by a 2026 TV, the QM8K still offers excellent, punchy picture quality and at a healthy discount. The QM8K also includes all the features you need in a modern television -- including 4K/120Hz input and variable refresh rate that can get the most out of consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The QM8K is the best way to get a great picture for the least amount of money. On the other hand, if you feel like splurging on the best picture quality I've seen in recent years, then the new LG G6 OLED is the way to go.
Although the QM8K is my current favorite, it might not be right for your preferences or budget. If you want the best 65-inch TV under $500, the 2025 Hisense QD7QF series is the standout of the ones I've tested.
Watch this: These 4 TVs Have the Best Picture Quality in 2025
Best 65-inch TVs in 2026
Pros
- The TCL QM8K has great picture quality
- Very few haloing artifacts
- New Filmmaker mode helps create more accurate pictures
Cons
- Still bright, but dimmer than the TV it replaced
- Worse input lag with games
Who is it best for: The TCL QM8K offers performance that approaches OLED but at a significant discount, making it suited to people who want a great picture for the least amount of money.
Performance: TCL has topped our list of the best TVs for the past few years, but the latest 2025 TCL QM8K raises the bar even higher, especially for fans of 4K resolution. In my comparison tests, the QM8 distinguished itself with superior color and shadow detail without sacrificing the deep contrast that is crucial for 4K viewing. This performance is largely thanks to its advanced mini-LED technology and effective full-array local dimming.
Overview: The TCL is great in a lot of ways, performance and affordability are at the top of the list, but if you're a gamer this may not be the best TV for you as it's a little slower than less-processing hungry TVs like the Hisense QD7QF.
Pros
- The LG G6 has excellent contrast
- Antireflective coating is one of the best
- Its brightness is great for gaming
Cons
- Green tinge on off-axis viewing
- Not as color accurate as the LG G5
Who is it best for: If you're looking for the best possible picture and don't mind paying for it, the LG G6 stands out in the 4K OLED TV market. It's great for home theater fans, but is also perfect for use in lit rooms thanks to the improved anti-reflective coating.
Performance: The picture quality of the LG G6 is among the best I have seen in 2026, with saturated colors, excellent contrast and ultra-fine detail. It's not quite as good as the LG G5 it replaces in terms of color accuracy and black levels, but it's very close, and the G6's anti-reflective screen is the best I've ever seen. It manages the delicate trade-off between reducing reflected light and maintaining black levels masterfully.
Overview: The LG G6 offers excellent 4K image quality, beating any other non-OLED TV I've compared it against. The main downside is that it still costs a ton, and most people -- even those with bright rooms -- will be perfectly happy with a less expensive TV like the G5.
Pros
- The Samsung S90F boasts excellent image quality
- Fast motion for gamers
Cons
- It's expensive
- It lacks the step-up model's glare free coating
Who is it best for: The Samsung S90F offers the holy grail for gamers -- excellent picture quality, fast response times and high brightness -- and at a much more affordable price than the step-up S95F.
Performance: With lag times under 10ms it's about as fast as a TV with this level of picture quality can get, and with support for 144Hz VRR there's no screen tearing or other immersion-destroying artifacts. It's also great for just watching movies with deep, deep black levels and very finely saturated colors.
Overview: At its current $1,600 price on sale there is very little else to compete with the S90F, as not even the TCL QM8K can offer the same kind of picture quality or amount of gaming chops.
Pros
- The best picture quality I've ever seen under $500
- This TV boasts excellent black levels and shadow detail
- Best response times in its class for gaming
Cons
- Fire TV interface is less user-friendly than a Roku TV
Who is it best for: Whether you're a gamer or just want a TV that will fit in the bedroom the Hisense QD7QF is a really good choice. It has a very punchy picture for the money and plenty of streaming options.
Performance: The Hisense QD7QF delivers a fantastic picture for an affordable price. The black levels and shadow detail are a cut above anything else at the price thanks to its mini-LED backlight. The TV has onboard streaming and the sound quality isn't too bad either.
Overview: In terms of the best bang-for-buck, the Hisense QD7QF is the most impressive TV I have tested so far. Its picture quality far surpasses any other unit at the price and makes movies and games look amazing.
LG G5 OLED
Ty Pendlebury/CNETLG G5: The LG G5 is a fantastic television with the brightest OLED screen I have ever tested. If you want the best of both world's -- OLED's deep blacks but with the pop of an LCD -- then the G5 is the way to go. Read CNET's review of the LG G5.
Hisense U8N: If you're looking for the best TV for the money, and the TCL QM8 is significantly more expensive at the time you read this, the Hisense U8N should be your go-to. I compared the two TVs side by side, and while I liked the QM8 just a bit better, the U8K is an excellent choice as well. Read CNET's review of the Hisense U8N.
LG C5: The LG C5 is a great TV with all of the shadow detail, contrast and color accuracy you could want for, but ... the availability of the C4 (half the price) and the G5 (even better for a few hundred more) means that you can currently skip the C5. Read CNET's review of the LG C5.
Panasonic Z95A: The Panasonic Z95A is an excellent TV and it has one advantage over most at the price because of its dedicated speaker system, giving it decent sound quality. The inclusion of Amazon Fire TV is unusual for the high price, and I prefer Google TV. Read CNET's hands-on of the Panasonic Z95A.
With all of the TVs available today, and all of the technical terms and jargon associated with television technology, it can be tough to figure out what's important. Here's a quick guide to help cut through the confusion.
Picture quality: Broadly speaking, the type of display technology helps dictate how good a TV's picture quality is, but OLED is typically the best display technology, and this is followed by LCD (including QLED, and Mini LED). OLED tends to look the best because it doesn't need a backlight, and every pixel can be either on or off, leading to great black levels. In comparison, each LED in a backlight illuminates multiple pixels at a time so it isn't as precise -- it's not yet 1:1. Even so, look for full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture in my experience. Additionally, if a TV uses Quantum Dots it often leads to better color performance, whether it's an OLED or an LCD.
Price: TVs range in price from $100 to more than $2,000. Smaller screens are cheaper, well-known brands are more expensive and spending more money can also get you better image quality. Most entry-level TVs have a good enough picture for most people, but TVs last a long time so it might be worth spending more to get a better picture. It's also best to shop for a TV in the fall when prices are lower.
Screen size: Bigger is better in our book. We recommend a size of at least 43 inches for a bedroom TV and at least 55 inches for a living room or main TV and 65 inches or larger is best. Stepping up in TV screen size is a better use of your money than any feature. One of the most common complaints we've heard is from people who regret that they didn't go big enough when they bought a TV. We almost never hear people complain that their TV is too large.
Brightness: One of the biggest variables when buying a TV is how bright it can get. In general, LCD and LED tend to be the brightest types with up to 3,000 nits of brightness in my testing, which is very bright. As a comparison, HDR streaming on Netflix is usually capped at 1,000 nits, and this is enough for most people. Paying more for a TV usually means you're paying for a brighter picture, and 4K Blu-rays and consoles can make the most of this extra brightness.
Features: Among entry-level TVs the most important feature is what kind of smart TV system the TV uses. Among midrange models, look for a feature including full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture in our experience. Among high-end TVs, OLED technology is your best bet.
In every CNET TV review, I compare three or more similar TVs side by side in a dedicated, light-controlled test lab. With each review I employ a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process that has been honed in more than two decades of TV reviews. I test TVs with a combination of scientific measurements and real-world evaluations of TV, movies and gaming content.
To ensure I can evaluate the picture quality of every TV I employ the use of an AVPro Connect 8x8 4K HDR splitter so each one receives the same signal. I test the TVs using various lighting conditions playing different media, including 4K HDR movies and console games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR.
To measure each TV, I use specialized equipment to grade according to light output and color. My hardware includes a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer and a Murideo Six-G 4K HDR signal generator. I use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate every TV I review according to its brightness, black levels and color.
My reviews also account for such things as features, design, smart TV performance, connectivity including HDMI inputs and gaming compatibility.
How much should I spend on a 65-inch TV?
Prices for 65-inch TVs vary widely by technology type and features, from less than $500 for TVs like the Hisense QD7QF to more than $2,000 for OLED models. TVs last a long time so I think it's worthwhile to spend a little extra beyond the bare minimum to get a bigger screen, better picture quality or better features. With that in mind, $1,000 is a ballpark price for a very good 65-inch TV in 2026.
You could pay (much) more or less. The fact is, just about any TV will produce a picture decent enough to satisfy most viewers. Most complaints you read in user reviews aren't about picture quality. Instead, they're about ease of use, smart TV menus or sound (or a broken TV).
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How far back should you sit from a 65-inch TV?
Only a few years ago a 65-inch TV was considered "big", but now, 85- and even 100-inch TVs are surprisingly affordable. That said, there are a number of recommendations for seating distance from a 65-inch but the most realistic is from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. It says that your TV needs to be around 3/5ths in diagonal of the seating distance. So for a 65-inch screen you need to be at least 8.66 feet away. Even closer than that is better.
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What size room is best for a 65 inch TV?
It depends on your room size, seating distance and personal taste. For a standard living room or larger bedroom, a 65-inch TV is excellent, but for massive rooms, we recommend a larger TV, say a 75- or even 85-inch model, if you can afford it. If you sit closer to the screen you don't need as large a TV for the best experience. For maximum theatrical impact, according to THX and SMPTE, you should be between 6.5 and 9 feet from a 65-inch screen, although many viewers will find it more comfortable to sit a bit further back than that. Nearly every 65-inch TV has 4K resolution, and if you have 20/20 vision you can sit as close as about 4 feet and still not discern individual pixels.
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How wide is a 65-inch TV?
Most 65-inch TVs measure between 56 and 58 inches wide. Because the frames around newer TV screens are typically quite narrow, 65-inch TV widths don't vary much. Models with slim frames are on the lower end -- the 65-inch LG C3 measures 56.7 inches wide for example, while the thicker-framed 65-inch TCL 4-Series is 57.4 inches wide. If you're not planning to wall-mount the TV, you generally want the piece of furniture supporting the TV to measure at least as wide as the TV itself, and preferably a few inches wider. Refer to the manufacturer's website for the exact dimensions of a particular 65-inch TV.
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How much does a 65-inch TV weigh?
A 65-inch TV weighs between 37 and 75 pounds with its stand, but this varies significantly depending on the type of TV. Removing the stand -- which often consists of a pair of little legs under the panel -- allows you to wall-mount the TV and reduces its weight slightly (stands weigh between 1 and 8 pounds). Shipping weight (box, accessories, etc.) of 65-inch TVs ranges from 45 to 91 pounds. Refer to the manufacturer's website for the exact weights of a particular 65-inch TV.
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