The latest evolution in the modern TV sets is the 8K resolution. According to the current trend in the market, it gives you the best picture quality.
With four times more pixels than a regular 4K TV, the 8K TVs offer the best and the highest resolution. The picture and the video quality of the display are sharp, crisp, and extremely detailed and are way better than what a 4K TV manages to offer.
Since 8K is very new to the market, only the best brands like Sony, LG, and Samsung have released the new models. Undoubtedly, these models are very expensive too.
As there is no 8k content available yet, these 8k TV sets make themselves useful by converting the already available 4k, Full HD, or regular content into high resolution 8k content.
There are very few options available and thus, we suggest you to check for a few factors such as HDMI 2.1, 8k certification, HDR, and viewing angle. To learn about them in detail, check the “Buying Guide” below.
Table of Contents
Best 8K TVs in 2020
As 8K TVs are not yet mainstream, there are not a lot of products available in the market yet. Thus our list is going to focus on the only few available products and rank them in accordance with their quality, performance, reliability and most importantly, pricing.
1. Samsung Q950 and Q900 8K OLED TVs
Winning the List is the Samsung Q950 8K OLED TV. It comes with the signature Samsung design touch. The incredible HDR performance, use of Cutting edge AI technology and the deliverance of the 8K Resolution, all in all, pack a good punch for the Samsung Q950. The same can be said for the Q900 as well.
The Q950 TV is much sleeker and is available in two screen sizes. The 82 inches and 75 inches models. While this stands as a 2019 iteration, the 2020 model aims for better features and interesting advancements for the same design. Samsung is set out to try its OTS+ (Object Tracking Sound+) technology which syncs perfectly with the image and sound.
Top Features:
- 8K Quantum Processor that enables better and great AI upscaling of the content from native resolution to 8K Resolution
- QLED Panel with an impressive 33 million pixel resolution overal
- 32 times better detailing with the Quantum HDR
- Don’t miss out on the little details with the 16X Array
- Ultrawide viewing angle and screen mirroring available
- Content Sync, Share with Google Assistant and also compatible with AirPlay 2 by Apple
- Intelligent mode on the TV controls the contrast and brightness of the TV depending on the lighting available in the room
- Single power cable connection for better cable management
- Chameleon-like back screen which blends to the background when turned off. You can also customize the screen for displaying other things such as album photos or the Time
- 4 HDMI Ports for connecting to the consoles and set top box.
- 1 Year manufacturer’s warranty from the date of purchase and also 1 year warranty on the frame
Available sizes: 55 inches for the Q950, 75 and 88 Inches for the Q900
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
Interesting Takeaways:
- AI Upscaling
- OLED Display
- Bezel-less Display
- Availability in smaller size is a great quality
2. Sony Z9G MASTER SERIES
Sony disrupted the Smart TV sector when it came out with the Bravia line. The Z9G Master Series drives home the point that Sony knows how to handle a screen. Available in 85 inches and 98 inches size, the ZG9 delivers on the enormous Resolution.
Fit with an LCD screen, the Sony ZG9 comes with a Full Array Backlight Master Drive Technology. This gives you a behind the screen panel full of LED than edge strip LED. While this made the design of the TV look a tiny bit thicker (by modern standards), but it helps you balance brightness and a lot of other light manipulation that otherwise may not be possible. Go as bright as you want or go as dark as you want the picture to. Anything is possible.
Though not an OLED TV, It gives you the brightness and contrast that OLED would give you. While this version may soon be replaced with a successor, this, by far is the flagship 8K TV by Sony and touts to be its forerunner in the Race of 8K TVs. Rumours have it that the new version might have a front-facing audio system that uses the frame of the TV as a speaker.
Other interesting features we found in it are the X-Tended Dynamic Pro Range of 20 times, the Multi audio immersive sound from picture reality experience, the 120 Hz refresh rate and the Google Home, Assistant and Alexa compatibility.
Top Features:
- X1 Ultimate and 8K X-Reality Pro Picture Processor that has the capability to upscale any type of content to native 8K HDR resolution
- X-Tended 8K Dynamic Range Pro of up to 20 times the contrast range. This gives you a wide brightness range for better image output
- X-Wide angle technology that removes the need for a wide angle for better viewing angle. You can see the picture in the same way from anywhere in the room
- Dolby Vision support and IMAX Enhanced4 and also the HDR10 aid in recreation of the output image and give you great detailing
- X-Motion clarity technology by Sony to make on screen action very lively
- Acoustic multi-audio processing for an immersive and great sound from picture sync experience
- Triluminos display with vibrant colouring
- Supports Alexa for hands free operation of the TV
Available Sizes: 85 Inches and 98 Inches
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
Interesting Takeaways:
- Stunning 8K
- Superior Brightness and Contrast Control
- Flagship design
3. LG SIGNATURE Z9 88 inch Class 8K Smart OLED TV
With the World’s first thin OLED 8K TV, LG has crossed up the park and given out the premium design and ultra-premium price range for the LG Signature Z9 TV. This TV comes with 88 inches large OLED screen and the LG proprietary LG ThinQ technology.
It has a gripping 88 inches large surface and an ultra-thin body. The TV has a stand that adds on to the style statement and this stand has the built-in speakers to it and also functions as keeping the TV from falling apart.
With perfect colour accuracy per pixel, the LG Signature OLED delivers incredible contrast on the beautifully large screen. This is complemented with its brilliant image processing and upscaling that deals with the Motion Blur. A 77 inches version of the same that can be wall-mounted is set for a late 2020 release.
Top Features:
- Comes with the A9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor that can enhance the colour and action of the image with the 6 step noise reduction.
- AI powered core that gives you the ultimate 8K Picture quality and enhanced sound output
- Real OLED 8K that can deliver an impressively perfect pitch black colour and infinite contrast. This brings better detailing in dark scenes and with the 33 million pixels, all individually lit, you can dim, lighten up or power off any part of the screen that the video demands. This gives you a realistic recreation of the scene onscreen.
- Combination of Dolby Vision and the Dolby Atmos surround sound that can convert this into a Smart TV to a full fledged cinematic entertainment system with the most advanced sound and image technologies.
- Ultra vivid picture quality and powerful sound that is in sync with the motion picture on the screen
- The LG AI has been designed to use Deep Learning to recreate and upscale any 2 channel audio into a virtual 5.1 channel surround output
- Has the LG ThinQ and also Alexa and Google assistant which is not exactly available in combination in any TV
- Built in Airplay 2 by apple that makes casting of anything from the iPhone or Mac to your TV very easy
LG 9 SERIES NANO CELL 8K
Running up on a little affordable range, the LG 9 series comes with a Nano Cell 8K resolution than the OLED display which is just as good. Readily available, the TV has a full array dimming, Dolby vision AND Dolby Atmos along with the proprietary LG ThinQ AI while supporting Google Assistant and Alexa as well.
Available Sizes: LG 9 series- 75 inches; LG Signature Z9-88 inches and 77 inches (late 2020 release)
Refresh Rate: 120 Native and 240 Hz TruMotion
Interesting Features
- Bezel-less design
- Ultra-thin body
- LG ThinQ
- Ultra-premium feel, design and pricing too
Things To Consider Before Choosing a 8K Tv
What is 8K?
8K is nothing but the display’s resolution and refers to the number of vertical and horizontal pixels. According to most theories, more the number of pixels better the image quality is.
The 8K TVs feature a horizontal resolution of 7680 pixels along with a vertical resolution of 4320 pixels that means the resolution of the display is 7680 x 4320. This equals to around 33 million pixels.
When compared, the 4K resolution has almost half the number of horizontal and vertical lines i.e. 3840 x 2160, resulting in a total pixel count of approx 8.3 million.
Thus, 8K displays have 4 times more pixels than 4K (this also means that the pixel count is 16 times more than that in Full HD).
| Resolution | Image Dimensions | No. of pixels | 8K is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8K UHD | 7680 x 4320 | 33,177,600 | --- |
| 4K UHD | 3840 x 2160 | 8,294,400 | 4 x 4K |
| Full HD | 1920 x 1080 | 2,073,600 | 16 x 1080p |
| HD 720p | 1280 x 720 | 921.600 | 36 x 720p |
Are you buying a Real 8K TV?
With the innovation in technology, each brand tries to create its own version of 8K and convince the customers to buy that version. But the question is, is that the best version of 8K?
To figure that out, check if the TV that you are going to buy has any of these logos.
1. 8KULTRAHD
In order to maintain a consistency in the resolution and to make it easier for you to figure out the specifications of the TV, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced its 8K TV program with an official logo that is mentioned above.
The TV brands that meet these CTA’s specifications for 8K can use this logo on the packaging and can also use it while marketing. This is very helpful to the users to know that they are buying a genuine product.
To qualify this program, the display of the TV should offer an 8K resolution (7680 x 4320). Along with this, it should be able to instantly upscale 4K content or any non-8K content to full 8K resolution. It should also support HDR and should have at least one input that is HDCP 2.2 compliant. The TV should also be able to handle the 10-bit color on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
2. 8K Association Certified
Unlike the CTA, the 8K Association is a group formed by many manufacturers and other players in the industry to have their own standards defined for the 8K quality and a special logo.
The top brands and TV manufacturers like Panasonic, Samsung, TCL, and Hisense are the members of the 8K Association. However, LG is not a part of this association as it has a different stand than what others consider as “real 8K”.
If you are wondering, there’s not much of a difference between both the types of certifications. The only requirement of the 8 K Associations is HDMI 2.1 whereas the CTA does not hold any such requirements.
Thus, as long as the TV that you selected has any of these certification logos, you can go ahead and buy the TV.
Factors to Consider Before Buying an 8K TV
Following these factors before buying an 8K TV can help you select the best one for your home. Let’s have a look!
1. Size:
Whenever you are planning to buy an 8K TV, make sure that you have enough space for it as the TV is going to be large.
The reason behind this is if you wish to see the quality enhancement in 8K content, the size of your TV should be above 50 inches. Any TV below 50-inch size won’t show the improved quality.
Hence, most of the 8K TVs are large so that all the pixels are showcased properly.
2. LED vs. OLED vs. QLED:
It is definitely not easy to pick a new TV these days where the LED TVs go easy on the budget or the OLED TVs with the perfect blacks. Not only this, there are amazing QLED TVs as well by Samsung and Vizio. Each of these technologies has its own pros and cons and this makes it even more difficult to choose one. Let’s check each one of them.
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LED:
LED (Light Emitting Diodes) TVs use traditional LCD panels backlit using LEDs. All the recent high-end LED TVs use a light filtering plane very similar to QLED TVs. This helps them create a wide color gamut.
LED TVs are a great option for those who are looking for budget-friendly options. The LED TVs are available in a wide range of sizes and you can buy them as per your convenience.
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OLED:
OLED TVs allow you to adjust the luminosity of the pixels individually. It also lets you turn the pixels off completely so that you can see black or infinite contrasts. The video quality of the TV is just exceptional.
Except for the image retention issue, it can be a great buy.
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QLED:
Samsung uses QLED as a marketing name to describe its new LED TVs. These LED TVs use traditional LCD panels lit using LEDs. It contains a special filter with energy reactive nano-particles that help in producing pure and saturated colors.
Thus, if you have the budget and if you are looking for the best colors, you must buy the QLED TV.
3. HDR:
HDR i.e. High Dynamic Range is a TV standard. It lets the screens to offer more accurate colors, vivid pictures, and improved contrast than any regular TV set. With the highest resolution possible, when the HDR is installed properly on an 8K TV, it is the best combination ever.
The performance of the HDR is very finely related to the brightness. Thus, a brighter display can help in showing the HDR content in a better way than on a dimmer screen. Since the highlights shine better here, it adds more depth to the image. Thus, the colors look realistic and rich. Due to the high contrast ratio, it makes all the content on the screen pop up a bit more.
The HDR pictures look even more detailed and bright while watching dark scenes in the movies.
HDR not only improves the brightness of the TV but also enhances the colors by adding more vibrancy and detailing. The performance of HDR also depends on the quality of the TV.
4. Viewing Angle:
A golden rule to buy an 8K TV – make the most out of it by installing it at a place where everyone can enjoy the big screen. Installing a 75-inch 8K TV in your bedroom won’t make any sense.
Since OLED offers the best viewing angles, the same happens with 8K OLED TVs too.
However, some makers of LCD TVs also have achieved the best results in this context by using IPS screens, quantum dots, and improved panel treatments.
5. HDMI 2.1:
Along with an 8K screen, another important feature that an 8K video requires is high speed. Generally, 8K videos take a lot of bandwidth to stream and thus require HDMI 2.1 (at least).
If you are not aware, HDMI 2.1 is a new standard that is intended especially for high-quality content including 4K and 8K. Its maximum bandwidth is 48 Gbps that is almost thrice of the standard HDMI 2.0 (18 Gbps). It can support up to 4K60 videos.
The lower the bandwidth’s connection is the compressed the video will be. Because of lower bandwidth, it sends over lower resolution and low video frame rate that hurts the detailing part. HDMI 2.1 can carry uncompressed 4K120 videos. It can also handle high-quality and uncompressed 8K videos at 60 fps.
You will mostly get the cables along with your 8K TV. If not, you can buy cables separately that meets all the criteria and offers a maximum bandwidth of 48 Gbps.
6. Smart TV:
Like any smart device such as a smartphone, a smart TV supports a wide range of apps along with an internet connectivity option. It provides you with a lot of streaming options. You can access any app, check your social media pages, and even control other connected gadgets, including Alexa and Google Home compatible devices.
Most of the recent models of TVs are coming with voice recognition tools (Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant) and you can use them to either search for a program or change the channels.
7. Refresh Rate:
The refresh rate refers to the number of times per second a TV refreshes the image and is calculated in Hertz. The quicker the picture refreshes the smoother the motion will appear. All the 8K TVs offer a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
8. Warranty:
Since buying an 8K TV is a very big investment, you should make sure that you are checking the warranty period offered by the manufacturer. The warranty period offered by most of the TV manufacturers is around 1-2 years. The more the warranty period is the better it is for you to deal with any issues related to your TV set.
Is there 8K content available?
One of the most important things that you must look for before upgrading your TV is whether there is such content available? Until last year, there wasn’t much of 8k content available that you could watch at your home. However, the trend is changing slowly.
A video-streaming site called Vimeo added support for 8K content in November 2017. Till today, there have been around 6,000 videos tagged as 8K.
Even YouTube supports this and has many 8K videos – but the search filters allow you to look for 4K as the highest resolution.
In December 2017, NHK launched a separate test channel just to show 8K content. It made this channel as a permanent one last year only. For the consumers in Japan, they can enjoy 8K content at home using the correct equipment.
Before the rescheduling, even the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was also going to be a major showcase for 8K broadcast in Japan. Now that the Olympics have been postponed to summer 2021, the 8K broadcast might also be available in Europe and the US.
However, the availability of the 8K content is not the only reason for having an 8K TV at your home. These TVs can upscale the 4K content to 8K and the difference between the both is remarkable. To prove this, Samsung arranged two 85-inch TVs next to each other. While 1 TV has 4K content in 4Kplaying the other was upscaling 4K content to 8K. The TV showing upscaled 4K content on 8K TV was obviously looking better than the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans: The price of 8K TV usually varies from model to model and brand to brand. On average, 8K TVs available in India market cost between Rs.5,00,000 to Rs.14,00,000.
Ans: With a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, 8K TVs have a total of 33 million pixels.
Ans: The short answer is that 8K TVs have 4 times more pixel count than that of a 4K TV and this gives you a great edge over detailing. But the detailing is only as good as the content that is available. If the native format of the content is not in 8K, you might experience certain problems with the output at for this content, a 4K TV might be a good idea. Read our detailed comparision between a 4K TV vs an 8K TV.
Ans: Native 8K Refers to content that is created in 8K Format. This means that even while at production, the video is shot in 8K Resolution and then formatted to be watched on an 8K Screen. Such content has the best of resolution and has a visual appeal to it. Normal 8K refers to the screen of the TV and has nothing to do with the content.
Ans: 8K Televisions with OLED displays provide higher brightness and contrast balance and this is usually preferred when you are consuming Native 8K Content. The LG Z9 is an OLED 8K TV which is built for this.
Ans: The basic and the entry-level size 8K TV at the moment is the Samsung Q950R which is at a size of 55 inches. These TVs can go to as high as 120 inches as well (Again the Samsung Wall Luxury)
Wrapping it Up:
Though 8K is not a new concept nor a new technology, it will take time to get adapted into the general consumer market. This is due to two major things. One is that there is not a lot of content that is available in the 8K format and the second is that there are very few 8K products available on the shelf.
Another overlooked point is that 4K TVs have taken the market by the storm and they are seen to dominate the market for at least a year or so. This is because of their compatibility with the current content, affordability among other things. But once 8K TVs are more openly available, there would be more and more companies jumping at the wagon to produce better TVs with better Features at competitive prices.
