Which are The Top 4k/ QLED Smart TVs From Sony, Samsung & LG In 2021?
If you are in a quandary, speculating which are the best TVs from Sony, Samsung and LG that you can buy in 2021, this countdown of the top 5 TVs would prove a time-saver for you. This article would give you an insight into the entry-level and mid-range TVs from the higher brands. Apart from the Pros and Cons, I have also rated the Peak Brightness, Picture Quality, Picture Upscaling, Viewing Angle, Audio, Motion Handling capacity, Smartness, Gaming & set-top box performance of these TVs. This countdown is purely based on the picture quality, however, going by these ratings, you can choose a TV based on your requirements.
First, it is imperative to tell you the main differences between a higher brand and a budget category TV.
Purchasing a higher brand TV ensures better aftersales services than any budget category TV. The built-quality of higher brand TVs is also better. However, the same cannot be said about the durability of higher brand TVs. Even a budget category TV can last longer than a higher brand TV. So basing your selection just on this criterion only would not be prudent at all. The higher brands don't spend much on their lower-range TVs. But still, higher brands TVs display lesser banding and dirty screen effect than the budget category TVs, which imparts a clean look to their display. However, this is also true, that nowadays, you get to see better brightness in many budget category TVs than the lower-range TVs of the higher brands. And, another fact is that the lower-range TVs of Sony exhibit lesser motion blur than the lower-range LG and Samsung TVs. This year, Samsung has come up with some new models, however, it has not paid any attention to improving upon its picture quality, rather it has tried luring Customers through other not so necessary features. Though these features do stand out in the customers' eyes, the ground reality is that these features are introduced by compromising upon the picture quality.
1. Samsung The Frame 2021
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| Samsung The Frame 2021 |
On the first rank stands Samsung The Frame 2021 model QLED TV. For the first time, the company has come up with a 43-inch-variant in this series. The 43 and 50 inches TVs come with a 60 Hz refresh rate & 20 Watts speakers, whereas, the 55 & 65 inches’ variants have a 120 Hz refresh rate along with a 40 Watts speaker set-up. This time, in India too, we get the option of customizable bezels with this TV. The TV has been made slimmer with much better storage capacity. Now, you will be able to store more pictures on this TV. Improvisation over the last year's Art Mode is also seen. Though, Samsung The Frame has been specially crafted for mounting on the wall, people who intend to keep it on the table-top stand, get the option of adjusting the TV's height according to the height of the soundbar placed under it. There is also an option for audio optimization according to the room's size and environment. This TV comes bundled with a solar remote, whose battery gets auto-charged. It has a VA panel and high contrast ratio. The TV gets an HDMI eARC, too. The brightness, contrast ratio and colour reproduction, all, are pretty good. However, if you compare it with last year's model, there is no improvement whatsoever, in the picture quality. Rather, if we observe both TVs closely, the peak brightness and the contrast ratio of the 2020 model turns out to be better. Even the colour reproduction of the 2020 model TVs was a tad better. However, a slight improvement is seen in the motion handling capacity of the 2021 model. Though this TV gets HDR10+, eARC and Dolby Digital Plus, it misses upon the support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS. The 43 and 50 inches' variants come only with a 60 Hz refresh rate, but, the Game Motion Plus comes into action during gaming to reduce the motion blur. The motion blur on the 43 inches and 50 inches' variants of this series display lesser motion blur than the other Samsung TVs having the same refresh rate. The TV supports, all three voice assistants, Bixby, Alexa and Google. This year Samsung has come up with an upgraded Tizen OS, which has made the browsing experience better. This TV gets a Q-Symphony feature, which allows you to hear the audio, simultaneously, from the soundbar as well as the TV's speakers.
If you compare this TV with X9000H, the Sony TV performs better due to Full-Array Backlighting and Dolby Vision support. Samsung The frame is also inferior to Q70T and Sony X9500H, which stand much above it. If you compare this TV with Samsung Q60T, Samsung The Frame's overall performance would be rated as above Q60T due to its better brightness. Due to their 120 Hz refresh rate, the 55 and above variants of this series constitute a much better package than the Q60T TV.
RATINGS
Peak Brightness: 4.7/5
Picture Quality: 4.6/5
Picture Upscaling: 4.2/5
Viewing Angle: 3.8/5
Features: 4.8/5
Audio (43 & 50 inches): 4/5
Audio (55 & 65 inches): 4.3/5
Motion Handling for 120 Hz variants: 4.5/5
Motion Handling for 60 Hz variants: 4/5
Smartness: 4.6/5
Gaming Performance of 120 Hz variants (55 & 65 inches): 4.7/5
Gaming Performance of 60 Hz variants (43 & 50 inches): 4.3/5
Set-Top Box Performance: 4.4/5
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| X8000H |
On the second rank is Sony X8000H. This TV is available in sizes starting from 43 inches to 85 inches. Sony X8000H is a very popular mid-range model that comes with ELED backlighting, IPS panel, 50 Hz refresh rate, Triluminos display, Dolby Vision, 4k X-Reality Pro, X1 4k HDR Processor, Android OS, Dolby Atmos, Apple Airplay, 20 Watts down-firing speakers, apart from support for Alexa and Google. Its brightness is better than all entry-level TVs and even many mid-range TVs. The Color reproduction of this TV is pretty good, however, as it is an IPS panel TV, the contrast ratio is not that good. Overall, the picture quality and audio are pretty impressive. This TV can be termed as the best amongst the higher brands entry-level & mid-range TVs. The viewing angle of this TV is superb, which is fully appropriate for bright rooms and big families. Due to wider viewing angles and good brightness. it is better in picture quality than Sony X80J, TU8000 and TU8570. I have already done a detailed review of these TVs, on my YouTube channel TECHIEBEEZ INDIA, if you like, you can watch them. The darkroom performance of Sony, X8000H is not as good as that got in a bright room if you want a TV for a dimly lit room or a dark room, where you will watch it directly from the front, then, Samsung TU8570 will probably be a better choice.
RATINGS
Peak Brightness: 4.6/5
Picture Quality: 4.4/5
Picture Upscaling: 4.4/5
Viewing Angle: 4.8/5 8.4
Features: 4.4/5
Audio: 4.7/6
Motion Handling: 4/5
Smartness: 4.4/5
Gaming Performance: 4.6/5
Set-Top Box Performance: 4.4/5
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| LG UM7300 |
On the third rank is LG UM7300. If you are looking for a 43 inches TV, there is a better model UM7780, whose audio is superb and the picture quality is also better than this TV. LG UM7300 comes with an IPS panel, HDR10 Pro, WebOS, 50 Hz refresh rate, 20 Watts down-firing speakers, 2-way Bluetooth v5.0, Apple Airplay 2, Google Assistant, Alexa, and DTS Virtual X. If you talk in simple language, the picture quality of this TV is pretty good. But, delving into the minutest details of this TV, brings to the fore the fact that as it comes with an IPS panel the contrast ratio is low. Though the colour accuracy is good, a wide colour gamut goes missing on it. The peak brightness of this TV is less, because of which the HDR contents don't stand apart from the SDR ones.
LG UM7300 has good viewing angles, but it goes missing on Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDMI eARC. Despite these shortcomings, overall, at its price, this entry-level model of LG is a decent package, which will not disappoint you at all. In comparison to many IPS panel TVs, the picture quality of this TV is fairly good. It is fully suitable for brighter rooms and big families. Apart from enjoyable picture quality, you get to hear decent audio. Its fast response time and good low input lag make it a good choice for gaming. If you talk about LG UM7290, its performance is a tad inferior to this TV and it also does not come with a magic remote, which you need to buy separately.
RATINGS
Peak Brightness: 4.3/5
Picture Quality: 4.2/5 Audio (UM7300 & UM7290): 3.9/5
Audio (UM7780): 4.8/5
Picture Upscaling: 4/5
Viewing Angle: 4.3/5
Features: 3.9/5
Motion Handling: 3.9/5
Smartness: 4.1/5
Gaming Performance: 4.5/5
Set-Top Box Performance: 4.3/5
5. Samsung AUE70 Crystal Pro 4k TV
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| Samsung AUE70 |
On the fifth rank is Samsung AUE70 Crystal Pro 4k TV. This TV comes in size starting from 43 inches to 85 inches. There is another variant, too, AUE60, which has exactly the same picture quality as this TV, but, Q-Symphony and voice search features go missing on it. In my opinion, you should go with the Pro model as the difference in price is marginal. This is an entry-level model of Samsung, which has a Crystal display. In my videos and article, I have been emphasizing the fact that the picture quality of Dynamic Crystal display TVs is better than those TVs having only Crystal display. This TV comes with DLED backlighting, VA panel, PurColor, HDR10+, HLG, UHD dimming, Auto game mode, Motion Xcelerator to reduce motion blur, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth v5.2, Tizen OS and Adaptive sound. The 20 Watts speakers of this TV come with Dolby Digital Plus support. This TV has a Q-Symphony feature, which allows you to hear the sound of the soundbar and the TV at the same time. The contrast ratio of this TV is pretty good and you get to see deep blacks on it. The colour reproduction, too, is good and you get to see bright and punchy colours. If you will watch this TV directly from the front in a dimly lit room, the picture quality will be at its best.
Though the brightness is low, the picture quality of this entry-level TV is good, which is more or less like the Samsung Wondertainment TV, released last year. However, you don't get to see any improvement in the picture quality of this TV, on the contrary, at 2100, the picture quality Index, of Samsung Wondertainment TV is more than the 2000 PQI of this TV. As this TV comes with a VA panel, the viewing angle is not good and this TV also misses upon the support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. However, overall, at its price point, it is a fairly decent TV, whose performance would certainly appeal to the first time buyers of a higher brand TV.
RATINGS
Brightness: 4/5
Picture Quality: 4.2/5 Audio: 4.2/5
Picture Upscaling: 4.2/5
Viewing Angle: 3.8/5
Features: 4.2/5
Motion Handling: 3.8/5
Smartness: 4.2/5
Gaming Performance: 4/5
Set-Top Box Performance: 4.2/5
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