2021 Top Picks of the Year Ultra HDTVs

Ultra HDTVs
Top Pick of the Year:
LG 65G1PUA OLED
(December/January) Read Review
LG's G1 "Gallery Design" TVs for 2021 aren't just the slenderest sets we've yet seen, but they feature a new "evo" OLED panel that delivers an appreciable 15 percent increase in peak brightness over the company's best previous OLED models. Outfitted with four full-featured HDMI 2.1 inputs and LG's new alpha 9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K, the 65-inch G1 model left reviewer Thomas J. Norton deeply impressed with its "standout" HDR performance. Here's how TJN wrapped up his review: "The performance of today's flagship OLED TVs is so good that it's getting harder to differ- entiate between them. But the 65G1PUA brings some extra juice to the table." $3,000, lg.com
Finalists:
Sony XR-A6580J OLED
(October/November) Read Review
Another top OLED TV for 2021, Sony's 65A80J delivered top-shelf video performance in our testing and it comes with many of the same features found in the company's flagship A90J OLED models but at a significantly lower price. Notably, reviewer TJN found that the A80J's new Cognitive Processor XR provided a significant advance even over recent high-achieving Sony TV processors when it came to essential functions like motion handling, noise reduction, dynamic contrast enhancement, upscaling, HDR tone mapping, and more. $2,299, sony.com
Samsung QN65QN90A Neo QLED LCD
(October/November) Read Review
Samsung's flagship QN90A series 4K QLED LCD sets are the first models from the company to use Mini-LED backlighting. The extra layer of local dimming refinement that Mini-LED brings yielded "standard-setting HDR performance" according to our reviewer, TJN, with deep blacks, strong shadow detail, and a wide viewing angle for an LCD TV. His conclusion: "No TV is perfect, but all things considered, I have yet to test an Ultra HDTV that offers better overall performance with a wide range of sources and viewing conditions than Samsung's QN90A." $2,600, samsung.com