The world of the best OLED TVs can look a bit samey if you’re not familiar with the latest OLED technology, and the subtleties of how companies use it. So, given that there are seven flagship-level OLED TVs in 2025, I thought I’d break down what those models are, and what to expect from them.
They’re not all out yet, so we haven’t tested most of them fully yet (though we have several reviews in progress), but I have actually seen every one of these TVs in action with my own eyes, at trade shows and demos.
So here are the essentials to know, the reasons why each one stands out, and some early thoughts on them.
LG G5 – LG’s brightness king
Panel type: LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem; LG W-OLED (97-inch)
Sizes: 48, 55, 65, 77, 83, 97 inches
Price: From $2,499 / £1,799 / AU$4,199
The LG G5 is a big deal. It’s the first TV to use LG’s new-gen OLED panel – known as a ‘four-stack’ panel or Primary RGB Tandem OLED – which delivers better color depth and better brightness efficiency than anything LG’s ever delivered before, thanks to a new structure of four layers of OLED pixels in different hues.
We measured its peak brightness at over 2,200 nits, which is the level we expect from mini-LED TVs – it’s stunning for an OLED. Its fullscreen brightness is 331, which is also very high for an OLED, and means watching things like sports or playing video games in bright rooms won’t feel washed out.
It’s a beautiful screen, delivering natural images that still have lots of HDR pop to highlights and colors. It comes in sizes from 48 inches (in Europe only) up to 97 inches, though the 48-inch size won’t be as bright as most of the range, due to the physical limitations of the smaller size; the 97-inch also won’t be as bright, because it doesn’t use the same new-gen panel.
There’s a new polarizer to reduce the impact of mirrored reflections, which is very effective when faced straight on, though reflections look brighter and more distracting when viewed at an angle.
As with all LG TVs, the G5 is extremely well-equipped for features, ranging from a great smart TV system to having the most comprehensive gaming features you can get, including 4K at up to 165Hz on all four HDMI ports.
It’s also got good built-in sound, though it doesn’t match the quality of the TVs further down this list that have more elaborate speaker arrays. Also worth noting: you’ll need to check if you’re getting a stand or just a wall mount with this TV when you buy it – this varies from size to size, and from country to country.
The really interesting thing is the screen – a glossy next-gen OLED option. We gave the TV five stars in our LG G5 review, and it’s already seeing price drops, making it an early leader among this year’s contenders for our list of the best TVs.
The takeaway: LG’s latest and greatest OLED panel delivers a real reason for the continued push for this tech to be brighter, because it’s a stunner.
LG M5 – the wireless wonder
Panel type: LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem; LG W-OLED (97-inch)
Sizes: 65, 77, 83, 97 inches
Price: From $TBC / £3,799 / AU$TBC
This one’s relatively easy to explain: it’s basically the LG G5, except it comes in different sizes, and it’s wireless. Easy!
The LG M5 uses the same RGB Tandem OLED screen with reflection-reducing layer, and is available from 65 inches to 97 inches – though as with the LG G5, the 97-inch model uses an older panel type that’s less bright.
The M5’s party piece is its Zero Connect wireless connections box (at the bottom left in the image above), which means the only cable that runs to the screen is the power. Everything else connects to a separate box that beams full-quality 4K HDR images at 144Hz wirelessly to the TV, making the M5 a dream for clean wall-mounted installation.
The Zero Connect box can be placed anywhere in the room, including inside another piece of furniture, though obviously with some limits on the distance and the type of furniture – that lead-lined cupboard you have might be a problem. We noted when the LG M5 was announced that it might oddly be the dream TV for PC gamers, thanks to this box.
The LG M5 is more expensive than the G5 unsurprisingly, but it’s a fun alternative.
The takeaway: One for the tech-heads or those who just can’t deal with cables. Most people should just get the G5, but it’s very cool.
Samsung S95F – the reflection killer
Panel type: Samsung QD-OLED; LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem (83-inch)
Sizes: 55, 65, 77, 83 inches
Price: From $2,299 / £2,499 / AU$3,499
Samsung’s flagship OLED TV for 2025 is a very interesting competitor to the G5, standing in opposition to it in two ways: it mostly uses Samsung’s own QD-OLED panels instead of LG-made panels; and it has a matte screen coating to eliminate mirror-like reflections instead of a polarizer layer.
Let’s start with the panel, because there’s a twist. The S95F comes in sizes from 55 inches to 83 inches, and the 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes all use a super-bright new QD-OLED panel that’s incredibly impressive for bold fullscreen brightness that’s beyond what we’ve seen for OLED TVs before.
However the 83-inch size actually uses the LG RGB Tandem panel – the same as the LG G5 – rather than the QD-OLED panel. Samsung says the brightness and performance of all sizes should be comparable, and we’ve taken preliminary measurements of this model, which delivered over 2,300 nits of peak HDR brightness, and an amazing 465 nits of fullscreen brightness, which beats the LG G5 in our testing.
We noticed some subtle differences between the 83-inch and smaller models that seem to relate to the matte Glare Free 2.0 coating, which we’ll investigate as part of our long-term review testing.
So, let’s talk about the anti-reflective covering. The thing about this type of covering is that it completely removes the mirror-like element of reflections, meaning they’re much less distracting because your eye doesn’t change its focus when drawn to the reflections.
Instead, reflections become just a haze – and this does interfere with the image a little still, adding a haze that make the images look less rich. It looks very impressive in this year’s model, and impressed my colleague James Davidson during his extended demo time – and James has also been testing the S95F with super-dark movies to see the improvement of detail in black tones in this model compared to its predecessor.
Samsung TVs are also extremely feature-packed, with near-perfect gaming features (including 4K 144HZ on all four HDMI ports) and above-average built-in speakers. The S95F also has a separate connections box, meaning power and visuals are sent to the TV over a single cable, with all connections and processing in a separate box. It means the TV panel itself is super-slim, and again great for wall-mounting.
So, compared to the LG G5, the question becomes whether you want LG’s glossy screen that maintains black levels and colors excellently in bright conditions but leaves you with distracting reflections; or Samsung’s matte screen that’s distraction-free but may reduce picture vibrancy in bright light – but has QD-OLED’s awesome brightness and colors in dark rooms. Or there is a third way from Sony…
The takeaway: If mirrored reflections are distracting in your room, this is the OLED to choose. Astounding brightness, great features, and a cool design.
Sony Bravia 8 II – the picture processing master
Panel type: Samsung QD-OLED
Sizes: 55, 65 inches
Price: From $3,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999
Sony’s new flagship OLED TV might be the Goldilocks-preferred option, sitting between the two TVs above.
Want a glossy screen like LG, but with the super-rich colors of QD-OLED? That’s what the Bravia 8 II offers.
It uses the same Samsung-made QD-OLED panel as the Samsung S95F, but with a glossy screen that will hold onto full depth in black tones and powerful colors in bright conditions, but that will be more vulnerable to mirrored reflections.
Of course, you’ll also get Sony’s fantastic image processing, which is generally considered the best in the business by connoisseurs for upscaling and motion handling, including in sports.
I’ve seen the Bravia 8 II in action, and it’s a beautiful thing, and the TV also includes Sony’s impressive speaker tech, which vibrates the display itself for a bigger sound than you get from most TVs.
However, we’ve measured the brightness of the Sony Bravia 8 II, and it’s way lower than the LG G5: we measured just over 1,400 nits of peak HDR brightness, and 183 nits of fullscreen brightness.
The LG G5 is 57% brighter for highlights, and fully 80% brighter for fullscreen viewing, which is the really important one. If you’re watching in a room with controlled light, you probably won’t mind this – but the LG and Samsung options look more versatile, and so are maybe better value.
Another downside of the Bravia 8 II is that only two of its four HDMI ports support 4K 120Hz gaming, but non-gamers won’t care about that. It also only comes in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, though the 77-inch Sony A95L, the previous OLED model, is sticking around.
Compounding these issues is that in the US, it costs a lot more than the LG G5 and Samsung S95F, and I’m not sure it’ll be better by a large enough margin to warrant it. In the UK, it costs more or less the same as the G5 and S95F.
The takeaway: The Sony Bravia 8 II will surely find fans who love its picture quality, but its brightness is alarmingly lower than the competition, and its US price is a mill around its neck.
Panasonic Z95B – the home theater specialist
Panel type: LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem
Sizes: 55, 65, 77 inches
Price: TBC
Panasonic‘s high-end OLED TVs are always at the top of the pile when it comes to image and sound quality, thanks to their use of LG’s top-tier OLED panel (in this case, the same RGB Tandem panel used in the LG G5), custom-designed thermal tech so the panel can be pushed hard without risking damage, and a huge built-in speaker array that has some very smart tricks.
But these TVs come with a high price as well. We don’t know how much the Z95B will cost yet, but last year’s excellent Panasonic Z95A was more expensive than the LG G4, which was its equivalent rival at the time. This is likely to be one of the highest-priced OLED TVs of the year.
But it also looks set to be very special. In our early look at the Panasonic Z95B from CES 2025, we said that the extra brightness of the Z95B means that its beautifully meticulous image processing is now more visible and clearer during bright-room viewing.
Compared to last year’s model, we said: “I could see a brightness advantage to the Z95B, specifically in the dancers’ bold, monochrome outfits. Equally important, I didn’t see much in the way of onscreen glare from overhead lights, an effect that can detract from picture contrast.”
The Panasonic’s speaker array can do some seriously impressive stuff as well, not just in terms of its Dolby Atmos reproduction (thanks to a large set of forward-firing speakers, but also upfiring and side-firing speakers), but also with its ‘smart’ sound option. You can, for example, make the volume seem higher in one part of the room compared to the other, for your hard-of-hearing family members.
Gamers won’t like that it only has two 4K 120Hz ports, and the Amazon Fire TV operating system isn’t everyone’s favorite – but for home theater enthusiasts, this will be one to watch.
The Z95B will be available at some point later in 2025.
The takeaway: LG’s most advanced OLED tech, tuned to be pushed even harder, and with an amazing speaker system. No wonder it’ll be expensive.
Philips OLED+910 – the light fantastic
Panel type: LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem
Sizes: 55, 65, 77 inches
Price: TBC
This is a sibling to the Panasonic Z95B in many ways. It’s a high-end OLED TV that uses the new LG RGB Tandem panel, and it has a very impressive set of speakers built-in, designed and engineered by British hi-fi great Bowers & Wilkins.
It also has Philips’ unique Ambilight feature, which uses LED lights built into the top and sides of the TV to spread light onto your walls that matches what’s happening on-screen, making the image feel larger than it is.
I saw (and heard) this TV in action, and I think it looks like a really impressive one-box home theater option, because the B&W sound system is really full, impactful and offers good spatial positioning of sound despite the lack of side- or up-firing speakers.
We don’t have prices or a release date for it yet, and this model won’t be available in the US, but it looks like it has great potential when it comes to sound and vision. It’ll be available in 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes.
Alas, it won’t be quite as hot for gaming, since it will have 4K 120Hz support on only two of its four HDMI ports.
The takeaway: An all-in-one TV and sound system that makes itself feel bigger than it is – great for cineasts with limited space.
Philips OLED+950 – the double-power picture specialist
Panel type: LG W-OLED Primary RGB Tandem
Sizes: 65, 77 inches
Price: TBC
This TV is basically the same as above, except it swaps the Bowers & Wilkins sound system for a dual-chip image processor, meaning it’ll have advanced image refinement techniques that no other TV in Philips’ range has, and that should rank among the best in the industry.
Basically, if the TV above is for people who want nearly top-tier image quality and great sound all in one unit without thinking about any other tech being involved, this TV is for people who already have (or will buy) an elite sound system, and want the best possible image quality to pair with it, and so its built-in speakers aren’t as fancy as the OLED+910’s.
At the TV’s unveiling, we said that the more powerful chip “allows for more advanced versions of Philips adaptive picture quality techniques, covering everything from HDR highlight adjustments to colour depth enhancement.”
As above, this won’t be available in the US. It’ll come in 65-inch and 77-inch sizes later in 2025, at a price TBD.
The takeaway: How much cool image tech is too much image cool image tech? Philips doesn’t think there’s a limit…
You might also like…
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mZSsPHqnHmyhkZ7mJtuu5S.jpg
Source link
