These days, many of the new TVs coming are smart devices, that let you stream services like Netflix and Disney Plus without needing a dedicated streaming device. However, it can be hard to distinguish what separates a good smart TV from the best smart TVs out there, so we’re here to help.
While our reviews take smart TV systems into account, we think that picture quality for the money is usually more important when purchasing a new TV. That’s because you can always “replace” the TV’s built-in system with a good streaming device, most of which cost less than $50. The exception is for budget TVs, where the price of the streaming device could make up a significant percentage of the cost — for this list, unlike our main best TVs list — we weighted the importance of the smart TV system higher for budget models we had reviewed.
Our list below is generally arranged in order of which TVs provide the best picture for the money, but we also note how much we like (or dislike) the built-in smart TV system.
Best smart TVs to buy
How CNET tests smart TVs
Our TV reviews follow a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed over nearly two decades of TV reviews. Our primary TV test lab has specialized equipment for measuring light and color, including a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer, a Murideo Sig-G 4K HDR signal generator and an AVPro Connect 8×8 4K HDR distribution matrix. We use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate every TV we review. In every CNET TV review, three or more similar TVs are compared side by side in various lighting conditions playing different media, including movies, TV shows and games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR. Our reviews also account for design, features, HDMI input and gaming compatibility and other factors.
When specifically evaluating smart TV performance, we use all of the major features available on the platform and note how they stack up against the competition. Our metrics include: overall platform ease-of-use, effective layouts and design, search capabilities, privacy settings, the number of apps and their performance, and the overall speed and reliability of the system.
Smart TV FAQs
We’ll post the answers to commonly asked TV questions below. If you have any others, feel free to reach out on Twitter (@dkatzmaier), or by clicking the little envelope icon on my CNET profile page.
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