Get ready to pop some popcorn, because you can now have a better cinematic experience at home than you could at the local cinema. All you need is an 85-inch TV. To find the best 85-inch TVs on the market, we tested over 15 different models and researched countless more. For the record, we’re talking about the best 80-85 inch TVs, as the exact size can sometimes vary among manufacturers (this is why they’re often described as being “85-inch class” TVs). After carefully evaluating each contender, we made the LG G4 TV our top choice. Its built-in brightness booster technology and gorgeous, crystal-clear picture makes you feel smack dab in the middle of the action, whether you’re watching a movie or show or playing your favorite games.
The best 85-inch TVs create a truly immersive viewing experience.
Forbes / Photo: Retailer
We were also impressed with the Samsung S90D, another OLED panel television that comes with built-in software like Samsung's Gaming Hub for gaming without the need for a console—just bring your controller and get into the action. And for a great value pick, there’s the Hisense U8N. When evaluating these big-screen TVs, we considered resolution, brightness, audio quality, connectivity options, ease of use and more. Here are the best 85-inch TVs you can add to your home right now.
Wide viewing angles make it great for larger spaces
What could be better:
Audio is mediocre at best
Remote could be more intuitive
The company’s flagship OLED TV, the LG G4, is among the brightest OLED panels ever made, thanks to its Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. The MLA is key to the TV’s brightness because it’s designed to collect all of the light from the self-lit OLED pixels that’s lost to the back of the panel and redirects it back to your viewing area. LG doesn’t quote numbers directly, but this tech is designed so the TV looks gorgeous no matter if you’re placing it in your sunny living room or a darkened media room. We viewed it in myriad lighting conditions and were routinely impressed.
Because it’s a traditional W-OLED design, you still get the pure, inky blacks on-screen–a difference from Samsung and Sony, which use QD-OLED technology. With a low input lag and 144Hz fresh rate, you can get higher frame rates if you decide to hook up your PC to this display. Otherwise, if you’re gaming on your PlayStation or Xbox, you get 120Hz and up to 4K image quality. There’s also support for both G-Sync and Freesync, another great combo for gamers.
Good news if you plan to connect a plethora of accessories to your TV: The G4 offers four HDMI 2.1 ports. However, we strongly recommend investing in a dedicated soundbar with this option; during testing, the sound feature was weak and detrimental to our viewing experience. And when not using that feature, we find the audio sounds too flat and quiet. If you’re interested in learning more about this TV, you can read a full LG G4 TV review.
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Every year, the latest generation of OLED TVs are built to be brighter than their predecessors, but they still struggle to get as bright as their Mini-LED siblings. The Samsung QN90D showcases a QLED’s vibrancy exceptionally well and can reportedly reach over 2,000 nits. For a QD-OLED TV, this gives it a gorgeous, rich picture even in brightly lit spaces. You also get support for the main HDR standards, but with a caveat; as with all Samsung TVs, don’t expect Dolby Vision support.
Like the LG G4, the Samsung S90D supports a 144Hz refresh rate for PC hookups and 120Hz for consoles. As for software, we found that Samsung TVs come with a lovely ambient mode for displaying moving images when you’re not watching movies or TV. Samsung’s Tizen software sports another, more powerful claim to fame: the Samsung Gaming Hub. As long as you have an internet connection and a controller, you can play over 1,300 games without the need for a console. It’s not quite as fast as a high-end gaming console, but in our testing experience, it’s fast enough that the average gamer won’t notice. Samsung’s AI upscaling algorithms are unparalleled too, so both home movies and full HD movies showcase far closer to 4K compared to the original lower-res masters.
Richer colors than you’ll find on traditional OLED designs
Super fast for gaming and supports Samsung Gaming Hub
What could be better:
Doesn’t get as bright as other OLED panels
Samsung’s flagship OLED TV (and our choice for the best TV overall, regardless of size), the Samsung S95D, isn’t available in an 85-inch format, but its second best OLED, the S90D, is available in an 83-inch display, and we didn’t notice any meaningful difference, size-wise. That’s not a knock against the S90D, as it nips at the heels of its more expensive sibling with an equally impressive picture quality. Its QD-OLED picture quality showcases amazing, vibrant colors in both SDR and HDR formats. It doesn’t have quite the inky blacks as traditional OLED designs because it’s a QD-OLED. Don’t let that sway you from this panel—it has a much richer color representation compared to the LG G4, in part thanks to two features, Pantone color validation and Color Booster technology. Keep in mind, too, that because it’s a Samsung TV, you don’t get Dolby Vision, but it supports HDR10 and HDR10+ for those strong colors and lovely image details.
That said, it’s important to keep in mind that because this doesn’t feature the MLA technology, we found that it won’t get as bright as the LG G4, which makes this great for a darker room or a movie theater space. Its native audio is strong, though, as Samsung supports Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound to enhance the spatial audio experience. Still, we recommend getting a soundbar and subwoofer to accompany any TV to get those extra deep, rumbling basses for your favorite action sequences–and the S90D is no exception.
In addition to sharing the same refresh rate features as its cousin, the QN90D–144Hz for PCs, 120Hz for consoles–it has multiple HDMI 2.1 ports to connect your favorite accessories. Like the QN90D, the S90D runs on Samsung Tizen, so you also get the Samsung Gaming Hub for easy game streaming.
Hisense is renowned for offering impressive features at a much more affordable price point, and that combination is what catapulted the U8N to the top of our budget-friendly contenders. A gigantic Mini-LED panel, the display hits 1,500 nits, which is partially driven by the massive number of mini LEDs that give it a stunning full array local dimming. And despite featuring eye-catching HDR, Hisense ensures enough subtlety and nuance that you get very little blooming in high-contrast images. Combine that with the quantum dots and you get rich, vibrant colors across all of your content. Another perk? Hisense supports HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, a fairly unique combination since most big brands don’t support both formats.
In addition to a fast response time and low input lag for competitive play, you also get the same high refresh rates, including 144Hz for PC gaming and 120Hz on consoles. But, more importantly, it offers Freesync to reduce screen tearing and ghosting when it matters most in your games. You also get native support for Wi-Fi 6E. The U8N runs Google OS, so you can seamlessly tap into that ecosystem. Apple users will appreciate that in addition to Google OS, it integrates with Apple Home and Apple Airplay, too.
One thing to note: During our testing of multiple Hisense models, we noticed a software blackout glitch across every single one. The entire display occasionally blacks out for a moment, then returns to normal, so our testers believe this is a brand-wide issue. It’s also worth noting that every TV our team tested this year has experienced some kind of minor software glitch; if you can stomach this one, its picture is absolutely worth it, especially considering its affordable price tag.
If you’re seeking to future-proof your TV, Samsung’s premier 8K model, the QN900D, showcases cutting-edge Neo QLED technology that’s, simply put, unparalleled. Because it’s a QLED panel with impressive local dimming, various picture modes—including movie, dynamic and more—look stunning on this detailed display. If you prefer ambient modes while you’re having your cup of morning coffee, it offers a slew of different options to put you in the midst of coffee shop sounds, crackling fireplaces and more. This was by far one of our testers’ favorite features on this display, and one we loved learning about.
If you’re a gamer, good news: It can double the refresh rate to 240Hz at 4K resolution for an extra smooth gaming experience. There’s also a plethora of gaming-friendly features like a dedicated Game Mode to reduce input lag and support for AMD Freesync Premium Pro. There are a generous four HDMI 2.1 inputs, as well. Because it’s a Samsung panel, only expect HDR and HDR10+, but you’ll get HLG and Dolby Atmos to round out your viewing experience.
There is one caveat that’s just as true of the QN900D 8K TV as any 8K panel: At the time of this writing, there’s not a lot of 8K content yet, as cable companies and streaming services haven’t embraced or adopted it. That said, the QN900D upscales older and lower resolution content beautifully. If you’re interested in learning more about this TV, you can read our full review of the Samsung QN900D 8K.
The Best 85-Inch TVs Compared
While the best 85-inch TVs share similar dimensions (which, as we pointed out, can be anywhere in the range of 80-85 inches), they can also differ across other specs that include panel type, weight, HDR support and more. To help you compare our recommendations, we broke down how our picks stack up in these areas below.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted team covers a wide spectrum of tech and electronic products and loves talking about home entertainment. We’ve written a plethora of TV guides, from the best 4K TVs to splurge-worthy gaming TVs, all backed by extensive research and hands-on testing.
Forbes Vetted tech and electronics editor Rebecca Isaacs oversees this guide and its updates. She’s covered consumer technology for over five years and has tested more than 15 TVs at Forbes Vetted, including many of the models on this list.
Forbes Vetted staff writer Steven John also contributed to this article, bringing his many years of work in product reviewing to bear—work that has had a particular focus on technology.
We also spoke to Avi Greengart, CEO of tech analytics firm Techsponential, to learn more about the inner workings of TV displays.
We know TV trends can quickly become outdated. For that reason, we regularly revisit the recommendations and advice in this guide. It was most recently updated in June 2025.
How We Chose The Best 85-Inch TVs
At Forbes Vetted, we’re passionate about home entertainment. When we’re not working, we’re gaming, streaming and enjoying the latest shows on cutting-edge TVs. As experts who have tested many of the top models on the market, here’s how we chose the best 85-inch TVs for your home.
To find our picks, we began by narrowing it down to top models from trusted brands like Samsung, LG and Sony.
We conducted in-depth research and consulted with tech analysts to stay updated on the latest innovations in panel technology, such as mini-LED and OLED displays. We also pored over customer reviews to understand the pros and cons of each model in real-world use.
We got a wealth of excellent input from Greengart, which helped inform some of our picks as well as our testing methodology.
Several of the TVs featured, like the Samsung QN900D 8K and LG G4, were tested extensively by our team. Additionally, we considered our experiences with previous models, such as the LG G3 and Sony Bravia XR A80L, to provide a well-rounded perspective on the latest TVs.
Our recommendations were based on key factors like resolution, refresh rate, brightness, smart features and more to ensure you get a top-tier viewing experience with your 85-inch TV.
How To Choose The Best 85-Inch TV For Your Home
When it comes to choosing the best 85-inch TV for your space, you’ll want to consider a few factors, especially since most of our picks offer different features that you may find essential. To help you learn more about choosing an 85-inch TV, Greengart helped us to dig into the inner workings of these displays. Here’s what you should consider before adding an 85-inch display to your cart.
Display Technology (LED Vs. OLED Vs. QLED Vs. Mini-LED)
Before you buy the best 80-85 inch TV for your home, decide what display technology is best for your needs. There are four main choices: LED, OLED, QLED and Mini-LED.
OLED TVs, like the LG G4 and the Samsung S90D, use self-lit pixels to deliver a highly detailed image to your screen. As Techsponential’s Greengart says, “The recent advances in OLED technology allow for brighter highlights, which improves dynamic range.” As a result, it’s considered one of the best picture technologies on the market–but that does translate to a higher price tag.
QLED, according to Greengart, “is a marketing term for a set where quantum dots are used to improve the color, but it doesn’t indicate the backlight technology.” It’s also usually side-lit, not lit with a back panel. He cautions that while this is great for smaller-sized TVs, that technique doesn’t translate well to larger TVs most of the time.
Mini-LED, in contrast with QLED, is a great balance of picture and detail without the loss of color common to QLEDs. If you opt for a Mini-LED like the Hisense U8N TV, make sure to look for a high number of light and dimming zones as well as, “quantum dot or other color-enhancing technology for richer color and wider color gamut,” says Greengart.
LED, like QLED, uses side lighting and lacks quantum dots to enhance your display colors. Still, it’s budget-friendly and balances affordability with size. Greengart notes, “You’ll have a very large picture that’s a bit washed out and doesn’t have good contrast, but you will have an enormous TV at the absolute lowest cost.”
Picture Quality
An 85-inch screen really needs at least 4K resolution to maintain sharp, detailed visuals at such a large size, but that comes with its own challenges at this size. And there are other considerations that separate these massive panels from their smaller siblings. Not only is it easier to spot every little imperfection, says Greengart, but the the panel’s backlighting becomes a problem thanks to the sheer scale of the screen. “There’s just too much real estate for side-lit LED TVs to provide the best picture. Content with small areas of light, like starfields and streetlamps, will have blooming around the lit areas, and detail in shadows will be lost.”
Ultimately, there’s one, albeit expensive, solution if you want the absolute best resolution and picture. “OLED is best, but large size panels are expensive,” Greengart emphasized to me in our conversation, and so you’ll need to decide what’s best for you before you buy.
Smart Features And OS
Depending on how much tech you’ve infused into your home, from smart lights to smart assistants, the OS and other smart features may shape your decision. Greengart cited some examples, saying, “Google TV makes it a bit easier to cast content from your phone to your TV,” which if you’re casting regularly may sway your decision toward the Hisense U8N which has Google OS built-in.
Another consideration regarding smart features? Security. As TVs become smarter, ensuring that your home entertainment display is safe for you and your family is ever more important. “Samsung is using its Knox security suite and promising at least seven years of software updates, so your smart TV won’t become an attack vector for bad actors,” Greengart says.
And, of course, as mentioned earlier, if you’re interested in cloud gaming, smart features should absolutely shape your choice, as only a handful of TVs offering cloud gaming, like LG and Samsung. Greengart specifically called out Samsung’s gaming software, telling me, “Samsung is also allowing its TVs to act as Xboxes for cloud gaming, which might save some users from buying a game console–though you’ll need to pay Microsoft for a subscription and you’ll still need to buy controllers.”
Audio Quality
In our experience, most people haven’t added a soundbar to their setup. But that’s often a mistake, because few TVs ship with decent speakers and audio hardware. Greengart emphasizes the importance of opting for a soundbar in lieu of your TV’s audio. “Flat panel TVs are, well, flat, and speakers need at least some depth to create sound waves effectively. While manufacturers will have you believe that they have rewritten the laws of physics with their in-built speakers, your ears will beg to differ.” It’s important to note that our testing also reflected Greengart’s advice, even with built-in sound boosters on many displays.
Greengart emphasized the importance of completing your theater system by adding this must-have accessory, skipping the TV speakers. “A large TV can form the basis of a spectacular home theater, but even if you don’t want or can’t accommodate a full surround sound system, you’ll need at least a high quality soundbar to complete the experience,” he said.
Connectivity And Ports
Your TV is essentially your home base for your home entertainment setup, which can include your consoles, a soundbars and plenty more. Especially for gamers, your connectivity options will matter.
Make sure your new TV has multiple HDMI ports, including at least one HDMI 2.1 for gaming consoles. Additional ports like USB, Ethernet and optical audio out provide flexibility for connecting devices. Greengart advises, “Features like eARC and Bluetooth expand your options for home theater configurations, ensuring compatibility with sound systems and other peripherals.” If you want to future-proof your setup for new consoles, accessories and more, check for these specific ports.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Based on our testing, the LG G4 TV is the best 85-inch TV because of its bright, vivid picture and wide viewing angle. It also tested well in a variety of lighting, including bright rooms.
For an 85-inch TV, a comfortable viewing distance generally ranges between 10 to 17 feet, though siting a bit closer can create a truly immersive experience, especially for gaming. Ultimately, the ideal distance depends on personal preference and the type of content you are consuming.
The decision between a 75-inch and 85-inch TV depends on your viewing distance—which essentially means how far you set your sofa from the TV—and is a matter of personal preference. A 75-inch TV is generally suitable for rooms with a viewing distance between nine and 15 feet, while An 85-inch TV is better for a viewing distance of at least 10 feet and up to 17 feet.
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