Best TVs of 2020 - Editor's Choice Awards

[Phil Hinton]

We present our 2020 awards for the very best TVs of the year over a number of categories. This year has been difficult for us all, but we have also seen some excellent new TV models with some of the best picture quality we have seen yet, so let's announce the winners...
Read the news.

 

[Evinger]

Thanks for this list, Phil. Great to see that different TV Manufacturers have won different categories, & no one Manufacturer dominated overall - competition is King when pushing innovation & value for money

 

[Spacecat]

My son would call this a participation awards where even the fat slow kid gets a certificate

 

[Phil Hinton]

My son would call this a participation awards where even the fat slow kid gets a certificate

Or it could be that manufacturers have been offering decent innovation in their TVs? Awards are difficult to put together, especially when there is no such thing as the perfect TV. I've seen every TV bar one in this list, in my own home and side by side in many cases. So while a quick glance may give you the impression of spreading the love, the facts are that each one is deserved IMHO.

 

[IronSoldier]

Doesn't the 80T have motion issues as documented here which whilst on paper make it great for gaming.. ultimately mean you should look at alternative options? If I was dropping from or stutter I would avoid it for gaming.

And personally best value i'd swap the TCL for the Hisense U7QF.

 

[MahaRaja]

Phil - Best TV sound, is the Sony A8 better sounding than Pana HZ1500? I like the clean look of A8 without a slim soundbar attached at the bottom of HZ1500.

 

[Livemo]

Would have liked to see best hdr lcd, like last year.

 

[AndretheTVguy]

I agree with most of these but I do have 1 quib,

1. The Sony A8 wins best TV sound ?? Even if you just look at the Sony range the AG9 and A9 have better sound (more speakers, more wattage and a woofer) than the A8. Let alone the HZ2000 Panasonic and Philips OLED+ 984

Apologies I missed the luxury TV sound section

 

[Phil Hinton]

The Sony A8 wins best TV sound ?? Even if you just look at the Sony range the AG9 and A9 have better sound (more speakers, more wattage and a woofer) than the A8.

AG9 and A9 were not reviewed in the last 12 months, which is the criteria.

 

[silent ninja]

Great read. This year was apparently an awful year for TVs, I think not! The hdmi 2.1 noise has gotten out of hand.

I'm extremely happy with my Sony A8. The android os is perhaps underrated- it's fantastic. Whilst acoustic sound is good - very good when you crank it up, good clarity, decent base for a TV, good soundstage, and with dialogue especially coming through well where other speaker systems struggle - it wouldn't replace a basic soundbar. It's great for normal TV, and TV series where you perhaps want a bit of oomph. But for proper movie watching, you want a 2.1 system, soundbar with a subwoofer or higher.

Btw the picture on the Sony is arguably better than the CX. I feel like the CX gets disproportionate coverage. So don't follow the crowd with the LG CX, get the Sony A8 or a Panasonic!

 

[CaptainJames]

Plenty to have a bun fight over ! And there was me thinking that QLEDs were the best TVs for HDR....

 

[topgazza]

First up please don’t take this as a dig at gamers. It’s not intended to be in any shape or form. But what has been annoying me for a long while is the reviews and in many cases the forums being dominated by 2. Bloody 1 and 120hz etc.
I would suggest that if not most then more than half of TV buyers want to watch, well, TV with either programs or movies. Now I get that many always want the tech to be the latest and get annoyed when their gaming monitor doesn’t have the latest. I would be annoyed as well. And no doubt the reviews recognise this demand but I want good blacks, colours and no motion judder. That’s it, I don’t even want a smart TV as I Only use Netflix and Prime.
Ok, rant over. Apologies to gamers

 

[AndretheTVguy]

Can we all agree that no brand should win a 'Smart TV' award this year ,

• LG: very user friendly and fast but missing freeview play, not just the apps but the functionality it offer and no HDR10+
• Samsung: best app selection but not offering freeview play and still no Dolby Vision
• Sony Android: Great updates this year now TV apple TV BT TV ect. But missing HDR10+ and still having speed/stability issues
• Panasonic: Best freeview catch up functionality and best HDR support but missing new apps such as Disney+ and apple TV as well as others

Pick your poison

Add an apple TV box to any of these and you'll never use the inbuilt smart

 

[lovegroova]

Even better, add a Google Chromecast, no need for rip-off Apple TV.

 

[silent ninja]

First up please don’t take this as a dig at gamers. It’s not intended to be in any shape or form. But what has been annoying me for a long while is the reviews and in many cases the forums being dominated by 2. Bloody 1 and 120hz etc.
I would suggest that if not most then more than half of TV buyers want to watch, well, TV with either programs or movies. Now I get that many always want the tech to be the latest and get annoyed when their gaming monitor doesn’t have the latest. I would be annoyed as well. And no doubt the reviews recognise this demand but I want good blacks, colours and no motion judder. That’s it, I don’t even want a smart TV as I Only use Netflix and Prime.
Ok, rant over. Apologies to gamers

Couldn't agree more. The gamers have disproportionately made their voices heard on this forum. I game, but HDMI 2.1 didn't feature in my list of must haves.

 

[CaptainJames]

First up please don’t take this as a dig at gamers. It’s not intended to be in any shape or form. But what has been annoying me for a long while is the reviews and in many cases the forums being dominated by 2. Bloody 1 and 120hz etc.
I would suggest that if not most then more than half of TV buyers want to watch, well, TV with either programs or movies. Now I get that many always want the tech to be the latest and get annoyed when their gaming monitor doesn’t have the latest. I would be annoyed as well. And no doubt the reviews recognise this demand but I want good blacks, colours and no motion judder. That’s it, I don’t even want a smart TV as I Only use Netflix and Prime.
Ok, rant over. Apologies to gamers

Exactly. I am sure there are many of us sick to the back teeth with 120hz and HDMI 2.1 - it doesn't impact on us and is unlikely to for a quite a while yet. Similarly with concerns over OLED burn in when gaming - just buy an LCD, whack it up to max brightness and knock yourself out.

 

[MrOpinionated]

How on earth can the LG win Best Smart when it is still missing most of the UK catch up content and it doesn't look like it will get it anytime soon? Samsung wins hands down and it doesn't need Freeview Play to hold its hand.

 

[Phil Hinton]

How on earth can the LG win Best Smart when it is still missing most of the UK catch up content and it doesn't look like it will get it anytime soon? Samsung wins hands down and it doesn't need Freeview Play to hold its hand.

Because if you are an AV fan, the apps can playback Dolby Vision and Atmos where they are available. Tizen would win if it was able to do that, but it can't as Samsung don't support DV. Most premium VOD services now use Vision and Atmos as the defacto standard, as I point out clearly in the awards write up. Your mileage will vary if you miss ITV, All4 or 5 apps, the iPlayer is available. Weighing everything up across all the services, which I have used extensively this year, WebOS was in my opinion the best system for AV fans.

 

[Livemo]

How on earth can the LG win Best Smart when it is still missing most of the UK catch up content and it doesn't look like it will get it anytime soon? Samsung wins hands down and it doesn't need Freeview Play to hold its hand.

I think both are neck and neck. How the overall UI works. Last year samsung won it, so hopefully it will take its crown back next year

 

[topgazza]

8

Exactly. I am sure there are many of us sick to the back teeth with 120hz and HDMI 2.1 - it doesn't impact on us and is unlikely to for a quite a while yet. Similarly with concerns over OLED burn in when gaming - just buy an LCD, whack it up to max brightness and knock yourself out.

I just to know about apps, even I won’t really use them and most of all, best settings, motion control and any negatives.

 

[Steve Withers]

Add an apple TV box to any of these and you'll never use the inbuilt smart

This statement doesn't make any sense given the criteria you just listed because the Apple TV doesn't include Freeview Play (obviously) and doesn't support HDR10+ either.

 

[Nick74]

My son would call this a participation awards where even the fat slow kid gets a certificate

With OLED televisions, calibrated performance is so similar that any decision comes down to individual priorities (are we gamers, cinephiles, sports fans; is audio performance a factor, or of no concern at all?). It seems useful to lay out distinctions in these terms. Doing so helps people make informed choices.

There's probably little news here for diehard videophiles, but the article is accessible to anyone looking to buy a television. If it nudges people toward making a more suitable purchase, I can't see the problem with that.

Besides, awards must be based on some criteria. If not those used here, what would the alternatives be? Maybe there are too many categories (I have some sympathy with that perspective, though better to be comprehensive than leave people guessing).

 

[Kotatsu Neko]

How on earth can the LG win Best Smart when it is still missing most of the UK catch up content and it doesn't look like it will get it anytime soon? Samsung wins hands down and it doesn't need Freeview Play to hold its hand.

LG are missing the catch up apps? I have an ancient B7 myself and it has all of the UK catch up apps.

 

[Kotatsu Neko]

Even better, add a Google Chromecast, no need for rip-off Apple TV.

Ripp off? It's £180, hardly expensive. Frankly the iTunes 4K lineup is so good, and often so comically cheap it easily justifies the cost of the box.

Plus a Chromecast is a very simple and bare bones device. A better comparison would be the Shield TV. It certainly has its merits (I have one), but mostly for gaming (Steam Link, GeForce Now, RetroArch). It's not in the same league as the Apple TV for media.

 

[Kotatsu Neko]

Can we all agree that no brand should win a 'Smart TV' award this year ,

• LG: very user friendly and fast but missing freeview play, not just the apps but the functionality it offer and no HDR10+
• Samsung: best app selection but not offering freeview play and still no Dolby Vision
• Sony Android: Great updates this year now TV apple TV BT TV ect. But missing HDR10+ and still having speed/stability issues
• Panasonic: Best freeview catch up functionality and best HDR support but missing new apps such as Disney+ and apple TV as well as others

Pick your poison

Add an apple TV box to any of these and you'll never use the inbuilt smart

Who is using HDR10+? It was DOA. DV has won, it's over.