Buying a flagship TV in 2026 is an anxiety-inducing experience. You are dropping $2,000+ on a sheet of glass, and you are terrified of making the wrong choice. Will the OLED burn in? Is it bright enough for my living room? Will it support the 120Hz refresh rate of my PS5 Pro?

The LG C5 OLED arrives as the refined successor to the world’s most popular TV, promising better AI upscaling. Samsung strikes back with the S90F, pushing OLED brightness to levels we didn’t think possible. Meanwhile, Sony’s BRAVIA 8 II claims the throne for pure cinematic accuracy.

And then there is the wild card: The TCL QM8K. It’s not an OLED, but it’s a massive 98-inch Mini-LED that might just be the size upgrade you actually need. Let’s break down which one deserves your wall.

1. Quick Summary: Best TV 2026 Winners

Here is the verdict based on your room type and usage.

2. Best Overall: LG C5 OLED evo

The “C” series has been the king of TVs for five years running. The LG C5 OLED continues the streak. It balances price, performance, and features better than any other TV on the market.

Features the new Alpha 9 Gen 8 Processor for superior AI upscaling of 1080p content.

Why It Wins

Gaming Dominance: LG is the only brand with 4 full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports that support Dolby Vision Gaming at 120Hz. If you own an Xbox Series X and a PS5, this is the TV that maximizes both.

AI Super Upscaling: The 2026 model uses “AI Director Processing” to recognize objects (like faces or text) and sharpen them without making the background look fake. It makes streaming content look like 4K Blu-ray.

3. Brightest Picture: Samsung S90F OLED

Samsung combines the best of both worlds: the deep blacks of OLED with the vibrant colors of QLED. The result is the Samsung S90F, a TV that pops off the wall.

The “LaserSlim” design is impossibly thin, looking like a piece of art on the wall.

Why It Wins

Color Volume: Because it uses QD-OLED (Quantum Dot) technology, colors stay bright even in the highlights. Red sports cars and green soccer fields look more vibrant on this TV than on the LG C5.

Vision AI: The 2025/2026 processor uses neural networks to enhance depth perception in real-time, making images look 3D without the glasses.

4. Best for Movies: Sony BRAVIA 8 II

If you are a movie purist who wants to see exactly what the director intended, buy the Sony BRAVIA 8 II. Sony’s image processing is legendary for a reason.

Perfect for PS5 owners: it automatically optimizes HDR settings for your console.

Why It Wins

XR Processor: Sony’s chip analyzes the image like a human eye, focusing enhancement on the main subject. It handles motion (panning shots in movies) smoother than LG or Samsung.

PS5 Integration: It features exclusive “Auto HDR Tone Mapping” for the PlayStation 5, giving you a competitive edge in dark games without adjusting settings.

5. Size King: TCL 98″ QM8K

Why buy an 83-inch TV when you can have a 98-inch wall of video? The TCL QM8K uses Mini-LED technology to get incredibly bright and avoid burn-in, all while offering a massive screen for the price of a smaller OLED.

The ultimate sports and movie TV. It turns your living room into a cinema.

Why It Wins

Immersion: Size matters. A 98-inch TV offers 40% more screen area than an 83-inch TV. For sports and epic movies, the sheer scale beats perfect blacks every time.

Brightness: This TV can hit peak brightness levels over 2,000 nits, making it ideal for sun-drenched rooms where OLEDs might look dim.

6. Specs Comparison Table

7. Buying Guide: OLED vs. Mini-LED

Why Choose OLED?

OLED pixels turn off completely to create “perfect black.” This makes movies look incredible in dark rooms. It also offers instant response times for gaming.

Why Choose Mini-LED?

Mini-LED uses traditional backlights but thousands of tiny ones. It gets much brighter than OLED and has Zero Burn-In Risk, making it safer for watching news channels (CNN/Fox) all day.

8. FAQ: Reddit’s Burning Questions