Gone are the days of “dumb” TVs. Virtually all new televisions sold in 2025 are smart TV models with streaming support and the ability to integrate with other products. The best smart TVs let you access all your favorite video apps, control your setup with voice commands, and even sync with other devices in your home.
I’ve been covering tech products for over a decade and have extensive experience with every smart TV system on the market. I’ve used my expertise to recommend top models that use each of the most popular smart TV interfaces available: Roku OS, Samsung Tizen, Vizio Home, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, and LG webOS. For instance, if you want a TV with Samsung’s Tizen operating system, I recommend the Samsung S90F OLED, which delivers impressive picture quality and seamless integration with other Samsung products. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a more affordable TV that utilizes Roku’s intuitive interface, I suggest checking out the Roku Pro Series QLED.
Below, you’ll find all of my best smart TV picks organized by platform. Each recommendation delivers the best mix of performance and value for its respective operating system, with multiple screen sizes available through most retailers.
Top picks for the best smart TVs
Best Tizen model: Samsung S90F OLED TV – See at Amazon
Best Roku TV: Roku Pro Series QLED TV – See at Amazon
Best Vizio Home set: Vizio Quantum Pro QLED TV – See at Walmart
Best Google TV: TCL QM8K QLED TV – See at Amazon
Best webOS display: LG C5 OLED TV – See at Amazon
Best Amazon Fire TV: Amazon Omni Mini LED TV – See at Amazon
Best Tizen model
Samsung 65-inch S90F OLED 4K TV
The S90F is an impressive midrange OLED and one of our favorite new displays of 2025. It gets a bit brighter than last year’s S90D and offers better color volume than similar LG OLED models.
If you’re shopping for a standout Samsung TV, the S90F OLED is my top pick. Like all Samsung displays, it runs on the brand’s Tizen smart TV platform. While Samsung’s pricier OLEDs can reach slightly higher brightness levels, the S90F delivers exceptional picture quality for the price, along with a strong assortment of smart features.
The Tizen OS provides access to all major streaming apps, offers smooth integration with other Samsung devices, and includes a few exclusive perks. The home screen layout is simple and functional: your most recently used app or device appears at the top, followed by favorite apps and rows of recommended content. It’s easy enough to use, although not quite as intuitive as Roku’s cleaner layout or Google TV’s more intelligent recommendations.
John Higgins/Business Insider
From the Tizen sidebar, you’ll find pages for search, ambient mode, Samsung Daily Plus (for fitness, productivity, and smart home controls), and a Gaming Hub. The gaming hub is a cool feature, offering access to cloud services such as Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Game Pass.
Samsung remains one of only two TV brands supporting the Xbox streaming app, allowing Game Pass members to play without a console. Performance depends on your internet connection, though, and some lag may occur on slower networks. Games are limited to standard dynamic range and stereo sound, so while it’s not a full console replacement, it’s still a fun and flexible option.
For voice control, you can choose between Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s Bixby assistant. Overall, Tizen performs reliably across Samsung’s midrange and high-end TVs. Older Tizen TV models occasionally showed some lag, but our reviewer found the S90F to be noticeably smoother than last year’s version.
Where the S90F really shines, however, is its picture quality. The OLED panel delivers perfect black levels in dark rooms and an infinite contrast ratio. Using quantum dots, it achieves brighter, more vibrant colors than similarly priced LG OLEDs — topping out at about 1,460 nits of peak brightness. The result: eye-catching HDR performance with crisp highlights and a dazzling range of color.
Note: The 42-, 48-, and 83-inch versions of the S90F don’t use quantum dots, so their color performance can’t match that of the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models.
Read our full Samsung S90F TV review.
Check out our guides to all of the best TVs, best Samsung TVs, and best gaming TVs.
Best Roku TV
Roku 65-inch Pro Series 4K QLED TV
Roku’s flagship Pro Series TV is a great all-around 4K QLED. Though similarly priced TCL and Hisense models have an edge in image quality, Roku’s intuitive smart TV interface, handy backlit voice remote, and easy assembly make the Pro Series a worthy competitor.
The Roku Pro Series is the brand’s best smart TV overall. It delivers impressive midrange picture quality with advanced features like quantum dots, a Mini LED backlight, and one of the most user-friendly interfaces I’ve tested.
The Roku OS is my favorite system for accessing apps, as it presents a clean, no-fuss design that puts all your favorite streaming services front and center. Unlike other operating systems, which have homepages cluttered with content recommendations, Roku eliminates all the excess and focuses on the essentials, featuring large icons for your apps and connected devices. Navigating through menus and services is quick, and our reviewer encountered no glitches or lag during testing of the display.
The included Voice Remote Pro 2 is also a joy to use. It features an integrated battery that recharges via USB-C and lasts for about three months on a single charge. It supports voice search by pressing a button or through a hands-free “wake” word. (A dedicated microphone mute switch is included for privacy.) And though Roku TVs don’t come with integrated support for Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, they can pair with smart speakers that use those digital assistants.
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Our reviewer especially loved the remote’s backlit keys, which make it easy to use in a dark room while watching movies. That’s a feature that even high-end Samsung and LG remotes lack, so it’s great to see on a midrange model like this. Another cool perk is the “Lost Remote Finder,” which can be activated via a button on the TV or through the Roku app. This feature plays a chime through the remote, allowing you to locate it.
Beyond smart TV conveniences, the Roku Pro Series delivers great picture quality. The display can reach over 1,000 nits of brightness, which is the standard for most high-dynamic-range (HDR) content. Specular highlights, like explosions, pop from the screen with realistic intensity. And though black-level control isn’t on par with pricier TVs or OLED models, the Pro Series’ Mini LED backlight and local dimming enable solid contrast. Our reviewer only noticed small instances of light bleed in dark environments.
That said, the display’s picture processing isn’t as clean and smooth as options from other brands. Some blocky colors and jerky motion showed up here and there during testing. Likewise, the screen is prone to reflections, and colors distort a lot if you sit to the side of the panel. However, these flaws are common for QLED displays in this price range.
Despite a few drawbacks, the Pro Series is one of the best-looking TVs available with Roku’s operating system, making it an excellent option for anyone who favors the brand’s streamlined smart TV experience. This model is available in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes. Roku also offers an updated 2025 version of this TV, which promises some performance improvements, but it comes at a higher cost. For now, the older model is the better buy.
Read our Roku Pro Series 4K TV review.
Visit our guide to all of the best Roku TVs.
Best Vizio Home set
Vizio 65-inch Quantum Pro QLED 4K TV
Vizio’s Quantum Pro is a solid midrange 4K QLED TV with impressive viewing angles for its class. But similar TVs from Hisense and TCL provide better image quality for the money.
Like Samsung and LG, Vizio uses its own smart TV system rather than licensing one from Google, Roku, or Amazon. The brand previously used an OS called “SmartCast,” but its latest TVs use a revamped interface called “Vizio Home.” The Quantum Pro (VQP65C-84) was one of the first displays to launch with the new design, and it remains the top model in the company’s lineup.
The Vizio Home layout is most reminiscent of Google TV, with features like a “Trending Now” section and a prominent row for your favorite apps. Navigation speed is responsive and smooth, which isn’t always a given on TVs in this class. The interface also features a well-organized layout for various settings, which is less cluttered than other options, such as Samsung’s Tizen OS.
However, our reviewer didn’t love the Home interface’s heavy emphasis on Vizio’s Watch Free+ TV service. Other brands offer similar ad-supported internet TV apps, but Vizio promotes its content a bit more, and the selection isn’t exactly top-tier. One of the homepage’s largest pieces of on-screen space is dedicated to recommendations of forgotten movies, such as 2005’s “Bewitched” reboot. There’s also no “Continue Watching” section on the homepage, which is a convenience that most smart TV interfaces include.
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The Quantum Pro does include a voice remote that works well, but like Roku TVs, the system doesn’t feature integrated support for Alexa or Google Assistant. Thankfully, you can still pair the TV with a separate smart speaker from those brands. The remote itself is compact and ergonomic, with a simplified set of controls that’s similar to Roku’s design.
With a bright image that peaks at about 1,000 nits, the Quantum Pro offers solid picture performance, especially when watching TV during the day. It has quantum dots to produce a wide range of colors and local dimming to darken specific portions of its screen. That said, the TV uses regular-sized LEDs rather than Mini LEDs, and it has an IPS-style panel rather than a VA-type panel. VA panels are used on most competing QLEDs since they provide higher contrast.
These two factors result in a slightly washed-out appearance when viewing the Quantum Pro in a dark room. Vizio released a firmware update to improve contrast, but if deep black-level performance is a priority, I still recommend opting for a Mini LED TV, such as the Roku Pro or TCL QM8K.
On the plus side, the IPS-style panel does help in one area where many other QLEDs struggle: viewing angles. Colors and contrast shift a bit when you sit to the side of the Quantum Pro, but the loss of quality is far less severe than it is on most QLEDs from Roku, Hisense, and TCL. While not the best smart TV for home theater environments, the Quantum Pro is a solid option for casual viewing in a lighter living room with seating in various spots around the TV.
Read our Vizio Quantum Pro 4K TV review.
Best Google TV
TCL 65-inch QM8K QLED 4K TV
The QM8K is one of the best QLEDs TCL has ever produced. New backlight improvements significantly limit unwanted blooming, the TV gets exceptionally bright, and viewing angles are wider than last year’s model.
The Google TV operating system is available on displays from several brands, including models made by TCL, Hisense, and Sony. But when it comes to overall performance for the money, the TCL QM8K is hard to beat. I previously recommended TCL’s cheaper QM7K model in this spot, and while that’s also an excellent TV, the QM8K offers some notable performance benefits, and recent discounts have made it more competitively priced.
The QM8K’s Google TV interface has a homepage with a row for top-pick curations, followed by your favorite apps, a continue-watching section, and additional rows of recommendations across various categories. It’s not exactly a unique design, but it’s more user-friendly than similar layouts from Amazon, LG, and Samsung. I’ve also found its content recommendations to be more in line with titles I’d actually want to watch.
As you might expect, the system also seamlessly integrates with an existing Google account, so you can sync your photos for screensavers, share account data with the display, and pair with other Google smart devices. For instance, I can view my Google Nest camera feeds right on the TV’s screen.
John Higgins/Business Insider
Google TV navigation speed and app stability can vary depending on which model and brand you buy. For instance, our reviewers have encountered slower performance on older Hisense Google TVs compared to options from Sony. However, TCL’s latest QM series models are among the smoothest Google TVs on the market, and our reviewer didn’t run into any notable bugs or glitches. Voice control with Google Assistant works well, whether you use it hands-free or via a button on the remote. The remote is also backlit, which is a nice touch.
The QM8K is also the brightest TV on this list by a big margin. During testing, our reviewer measured an incredible peak of around 3,600 nits when using the set’s most accurate picture mode. That’s double what TCL’s step-down QM7K is capable of. It’s important to note that such high luminance is only necessary in certain situations, but it allows the TV to produce bold HDR images with intense highlights and vivid colors. You can also pump up the TV’s brightness to overcome glare in rooms with windows and lights, making the QM8K a great option for watching sports during the day.
And though the TV’s viewing angles aren’t as wide as those of an OLED, TCL has improved off-axis viewing compared to previous models. The color and contrast shift slightly when viewed from an off-center position, but not to the point where the image appears washed out. The TV also features one of the best Mini LED local dimming systems on the market, resulting in fantastic contrast control. Backlight fluctuations, uneven brightness, and blooming are common on many TVs of this type, but the QM8K was virtually free from these issues. The display still can’t match the pixel-level precision of an OLED, but it gets about as close as any QLED has so far.
On the downside, the QM8K isn’t available in as many sizes as some of TCL’s other Google TV models. Sizes range from 65 to 98 inches. If you want a smaller 55-inch Google TV, I recommend opting for the QM7K. That less expensive model can’t get as bright, but it still offers great midrange performance for its class.
Read our TCL QM8K 4K TV review.
Visit our guide to the best TCL TVs.
Best webOS display
LG 65-inch C5 OLED 4K TV
The C5 is LG’s midrange OLED TV for 2025. It delivers high contrast and deep black levels while offering a slightly brighter image than last year’s C4 model.
All of LG’s TVs run on the brand’s webOS smart platform, and the C5 OLED stands out as the company’s best smart TV value in the lineup. It delivers great picture quality and thoughtful extras, such as Dolby Vision support (which Samsung OLEDs lack) and a motion-control remote. Additionally, it’s available in various sizes, ranging from 42 to 83 inches.
LG’s webOS interface has changed significantly over the years. What started as a simple pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen has evolved into a full-screen homepage that looks and feels more modern, similar to what you’ll find on Google TV or Samsung’s Tizen. You’ll see organized rows of app icons, content suggestions, and dedicated pages for categories like gaming, music, and home office.
Like many smart TV systems, ads appear by default, though you can disable the top banner ad in the settings. Still, sponsored content and shopping promos are featured a bit too prominently, forcing you to scroll down for more relevant recommendations. Competing systems, such as Google TV, surface personalized picks more effectively.
John Higgins/Business Insider
That said, navigation is snappy and responsive across LG’s 2025 lineup. Voice control is flexible, as you can choose LG’s built-in assistant or Amazon Alexa, and both work hands-free or via the remote. The remote itself remains one of LG’s signature touches. In addition to standard buttons and a click wheel, it offers motion controls that let you point at the screen to move a cursor (think of it like a Nintendo Wii controller). This year’s version is more compact and comfortable, though LG oddly removed the dedicated input and mute buttons.
When it comes to picture quality, the C5 OLED is a strong performer. It nearly matches Samsung’s S90F, offering wide viewing angles, perfect black levels, and infinite contrast thanks to pixel-level dimming. However, unlike many Samsung OLED TVs, the C5 doesn’t use quantum dots, resulting in a slightly narrower color range.
Our reviewer measured a peak brightness of around 1,174 nits, which is solid but lower than the S90F’s 1,460 nits. Even so, the C5’s HDR performance is excellent, especially when watching Dolby Vision content, which is better able to fine-tune color and contrast based on the TV’s capabilities. Dolby Vision’s improvements over other HDR formats are subtle, but it’s a nice feature to have. Check out our HDR TV guide for more details.
If you’re a picture-quality purist willing to spend more, I also recommend LG’s G5 OLED as the next step up. It’s pricier, but it offers a significant jump in peak brightness and delivers what’s arguably the best image quality of any consumer TV currently available.
Read our LG C5 4K TV review.
Check out our guide to the best LG TVs.
Best Amazon Fire TV
Amazon 65-inch Fire TV Omni Mini LED
The Omni Mini LED is Amazon’s flagship smart TV model. It uses a Mini LED backlight to provide a bright, high-contrast image. The display also has a fast 144Hz refresh rate for smoother gaming performance.
Amazon has been licensing its Fire TV operating system to budget-friendly manufacturers, such as Insignia and Toshiba, for many years. However, the company didn’t start making its own smart TVs until 2021. The brand’s latest flagship offering is called the Fire TV Omni Mini LED. This model offers some improvements in picture quality compared to the company’s more affordable options, while still providing an extensive suite of Alexa-powered features.
The Fire TV OS is used across all of the company’s smart TVs and streaming devices, including its Fire TV sticks. The interface has received a few welcome refreshes over the years to help alleviate some of the clunkiness of earlier iterations, but it’s still one of my least favorite layouts.
My main gripe is that Amazon only puts a handful of app icons up-front and center at the top, so you have to go through some extra steps to access your entire lineup of downloaded streaming services. I also don’t love how ads, sponsored recommendations, and picks geared toward Prime Video are emphasized so heavily on the home screen.
David Murphy/Business Insider
However, those drawbacks aren’t dealbreakers. Functionally, the interface operates smoothly and provides all the basic features commonly found on competing systems. Amazon even offers an “Ambient Experience” mode, featuring screensavers and widgets for time and weather. One of the Omni Mini LED’s main selling points is support for hands-free Alexa voice control. In practice, this enables the TV to function similarly to an Echo speaker.
The Omni Mini LED also delivers good image quality for an upper-midrange TV, with performance that’s nearly on par with similar Mini LED models from TCL and Hisense. However, it can’t quite match rivals like the TCL QM7K in overall value for your dollar.
Our reviewer measured a peak brightness of about 1,400 nits in HDR, which is a respectable number and more than double what the brand’s step-down QLED model offers. Black levels were also solid during testing, but the TV measured slightly under the expected brightness levels for low- to medium-shade gray.
Though the Omni Mini LED is the best smart TV in Amazon’s lineup, I don’t recommend it if picture quality is your top priority. Viewers who want a Fire TV display with truly premium image performance should consider venturing outside Amazon’s lineup and checking out one of Panasonic’s Fire TV OLED models. Panasonic’s collection includes the flagship Z95 OLED and midrange Z85 OLED. Though more expensive than Amazon’s Omni Mini LED, these Panasonic models are the most high-end smart TVs available with Amazon’s interface.
Read our Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED review.
Check out our guide to all the best Amazon Fire TV devices
How we test smart TVs
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To choose the best smart TVs, our team tested various models from every major brand. We focused on selecting displays that represent the best overall value across each of the main smart TV platforms. We’ve been reviewing TVs for over a decade and have used that experience to develop our testing methodology. Our review process involves evaluating key performance areas, including operating system speed, smart features, picture clarity, contrast, brightness, color capabilities, gaming features, and viewing angles.
We use a colorimeter to record a TV’s peak brightness. Various test patterns from the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc are also used to check other objective metrics.
But grids and color bars can only reveal so much, so we place a big emphasis on real-world content and day-to-day viewing in our testing. We use a curated selection of scenes from movies and TV shows specifically chosen to demonstrate a TV’s HDR performance, black levels, color, and fine detail. Demo material includes a mix of native 4K resolution (Ultra HD), high-definition (HD), and standard-definition (SD) programs, available through streaming, Blu-ray disc, and cable. This helps us see how a display’s processing handles both high- and low-quality sources. Testing is done in both dark and bright conditions.
When reviewing the best smart TVs, we also focus on testing each display’s operating system. Navigation speed is evaluated to determine how long it takes for apps to load and to assess the smoothness and consistency of each interface when adjusting settings and navigating between menus. We note if any major TV apps are missing and take into account additional perks, such as Alexa or Google Assistant support, ambient modes, smart home integration, and cloud gaming support.
Learn more about our tech product review process.
Smart TV FAQs
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Which smart TV system is best?
The best smart TVs all have built-in operating systems, but different brands use different platforms. Here’s a breakdown of popular smart TV systems and the brands that use them:
- Fire TV: Amazon, Panasonic, Hisense, Toshiba, Insignia, Pioneer
- Google TV: Sony, TCL, Hisense
- Roku TV: Roku, TCL, Hisense, Sharp, Onn
- Vizio Home: Vizio
- Tizen: Samsung
- webOS: LG
Although app selection and general functionality are similar across each OS, their interface styles, personalization options, digital assistants, and additional features vary. Ultimately, which smart TV system is best for your needs largely comes down to personal preference and whether you’re already invested in a specific smart home ecosystem.
For instance, a Google TV or Fire TV will pair more seamlessly with existing Google or Amazon accounts, and they’re built to work well with other devices from those brands.
When it comes to overall interface design, I generally favor Roku’s system the best since it’s the most straightforward and reliable. However, its design is somewhat outdated compared to other platforms that offer a sleek, content-focused style.
For more TV recommendations across various smart TV systems, check out our full suite of display guides:
Do any smart TVs use Apple’s tvOS interface?
Apple does not license its tvOS interface to display manufacturers. As a result, there are no smart TVs with the Apple interface built in. The only way to get the tvOS interface on your display is to purchase a separate Apple TV streaming device.
Do all smart TVs offer access to the same streaming apps?
Just a few years ago, app selection varied a lot between different smart TV systems. Certain popular services, such as HBO, Peacock, and Apple TV Plus, were only available via select smart TV platforms. However, this is no longer the case. Generally speaking, all smart TVs now offer access to the same core selection of video apps.
For instance, all our picks for the best streaming services are available across all the main TV operating systems, from Roku OS to Samsung Tizen. That said, there are still exceptions when it comes to smaller services and niche offerings. For example, LG’s webOS lacks access to the Criterion Channel app, while the Fire TV and Google TV OS don’t support the Spectrum app to stream live TV if you have a Spectrum cable plan.
If you’re shopping for a new smart TV and you frequently use a specific streaming app, check that service’s device support page to ensure that it’s available on the model you choose. But thankfully, even if you end up with a smart TV that’s missing one of your favorite apps, you’re not out of luck. Chances are that the service in question is available via a stand-alone streaming device, which you can purchase separately.
How do smart TVs compare to stand-alone streaming devices?
The best smart TVs deliver solid streaming performance, and most buyers will be satisfied with their built-in interfaces, app catalogs, and features. However, navigation speed and overall app stability tend to be a bit snappier when using a separate streaming device. Likewise, some people may prefer a different interface or digital assistant than the ones that come built into their TV.
If you’re unhappy with your smart TV’s navigation speed, service selection, or visual design, check out our guide to the best streaming devices. Picks include set-top boxes and streaming sticks from Amazon, Google, Roku, and Apple. Reliable entry-level options are frequently available for under $20, while flagship models typically cost between $70 and $150.
