Help me purchase a 65-inch Smart TV!

[powerstarprince]

1. Budget? Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000
2. Display type and size? LED/QLED/OLED
3. What will the TV/monitor be used for primarily? Living Room TV
4. Types and number of ports required? Best in class
5. Preferred choice of brand? Sony, Samsung, LG
6. Any TV/monitor in consideration? Sony X74K X80K X74L X75L, Samsung QE1C
7. Any other info that you want to share. Nice to have built-in Chromecast

 

[omega44-xt]

IMO Sony X74K should suffice. I think X74L just adds ALLM, might be handy if you plan to play games on it. Check for price difference between them, for 2-3k extra, why not get the newer one.

 

[powerstarprince]

I went to a showroom to check the TVs and found the Sony X80L and X82L available for Rs 65,000 in my budget. I prefer to purchase a 55-inch television now.

I told the showroom executive that my options were from Sony, Samsung and LG. There are entry-level OLED TVs from LG close to my budget, but the person suggested not to buy them. He has compared all the TVs from the three companies and suggested I buy the Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV instead of the rest. The Samsung TV line-up appeared to have natural colours compared to Sony and LG.

I was shown the Samsung 55QN85C priced at Rs 90,000 and 55QN90B at Rs 1,00,000 as the best televisions to purchase. I also like the Frame (2022) model, which is slightly expensive but available for less than Rs 80,000 on sale. The entry-level QE1C is available online for Rs 60,000.

Now, I'm confused about which of these televisions I should purchase. Which of these choices has the best value? My options now lie between the above models from Samsung and Sony. There is even a cheaper Samsung Crystal Vision 4K TV for Rs 45,000. I'm unsure if I should purchase it.

 

[omega44-xt]

I went to a showroom to check the TVs and found the Sony X80L and X82L available for Rs 65,000 in my budget. I prefer to purchase a 55-inch television now.

I told the showroom executive that my options were from Sony, Samsung and LG. There are entry-level OLED TVs from LG close to my budget, but the person suggested not to buy them. He has compared all the TVs from the three companies and suggested I buy the Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV instead of the rest. The Samsung TV line-up appeared to have natural colours compared to Sony and LG.

I was shown the Samsung 55QN85C priced at Rs 90,000 and 55QN90B at Rs 1,00,000 as the best televisions to purchase. I also like the Frame (2022) model, which is slightly expensive but available for less than Rs 80,000 on sale. The entry-level QE1C is available online for Rs 60,000.

Now, I'm confused about which of these televisions I should purchase. Which of these choices has the best value? My options now lie between the above models from Samsung and Sony. There is even a cheaper Samsung Crystal Vision 4K TV for Rs 45,000. I'm unsure if I should purchase it.

QE1C has bad reviews. QN85C & QN90B are good.

OLED will remain the top panel type in the near future. Samsung was stubborn about it for TVs while pushing OLEDs on phone but had to cave it & bring out QD-OLED TVs. LG's WOLED panels are more resistant to burn ins than QD-OLED.

Only reason to not get OLED for general multimedia usage is in case you have a very bright room where the low brightness of OLEDs will struggle.

Always remember, its the job of the salesman to sell, so they lie frequently.

What is your current TV?

 

[powerstarprince]

My current TV is the Sony Bravia KLV-40BX400. It's a 40-inch television. It's almost 12 years old and recently showed signs of failure on the panel.

My living room isn't very bright. The lighting from outside is adequate or less. In the evening or night, the lights inside the room don't fall on the television screen. Our Sony Bravia Full HD LCD TV looks pretty good.

I thought about the OLED TVs because the display technology is high-end and the picture looks very crisp. I do not want to spend more than ₹1 lakh on a TV.

LG has an entry-level OLED TV that falls within my budget. The Neo QLED TVs from Samsung are pretty nice too. Do I want to spend more than ₹80,000 for a new TV? The Frame looks innovative and I like that TV too. I think it should suffice my needs. What do you suggest? Should I spend more on high-end TVs or stick to Sony Bravia X82L that falls below ₹70,000?

I'm also not sure of the difference between X80L and X82L, but I think the higher number is better.

 

[omega44-xt]

My current TV is the Sony Bravia KLV-40BX400. It's a 40-inch television. It's almost 12 years old and recently showed signs of failure on the panel.

My living room isn't very bright. The lighting from outside is adequate or less. In the evening or night, the lights inside the room don't fall on the television screen. Our Sony Bravia Full HD LCD TV looks pretty good.

I thought about the OLED TVs because the display technology is high-end and the picture looks very crisp. I do not want to spend more than ₹1 lakh on a TV.

LG has an entry-level OLED TV that falls within my budget. The Neo QLED TVs from Samsung are pretty nice too. Do I want to spend more than ₹80,000 for a new TV? The Frame looks innovative and I like that TV too. I think it should suffice my needs. What do you suggest? Should I spend more on high-end TVs or stick to Sony Bravia X82L that falls below ₹70,000?

I'm also not sure of the difference between X80L and X82L, but I think the higher number is better.

www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/sony-x80k-x80ck-vs-lg-a2-oled/31223/31239?usage=1&threshold=0.10

IMO the difference between X74, X80 & X82 is small incremental improvements, so I mostly recommend X74K if someone wants something bit better than base 55" 4K Samsung or LG models. You need FALD to get a significant improvement. LG A2 55" was under 80k few months back but rare deal online. Worth checking LG A2 & A3 locally. LG C2 55" is 1.25L usually & LG G3 is 1.35L.

You have to take the call on what to buy. If your living room is big enough, IMO get 65" Sony X74K/X74L.

 

[powerstarprince]

My options are:
1. Sony Bravia X74L in 55-inch or 65-inch
2. Samsung the Frame (2022) in 55-inch.

I'm worried the 65-inch TV would not fit in my living room. It would most likely be 55 inches.

Sony Bravia X74L costs Rs. 50,000 for the 55-inch and Rs. 70,000 for the 65-inch. The Frame (2022) costs Rs. 75,000 for the 55-inch. Can the Frame TV be purchased below Rs. 70,000?

I'm down to these two choices. It's either I spend 50k or 70k of my budget range.

 

[omega44-xt]

My options are:
1. Sony Bravia X74L in 55-inch or 65-inch
2. Samsung the Frame (2022) in 55-inch.

I'm worried the 65-inch TV would not fit in my living room. It would most likely be 55 inches.

Sony Bravia X74L costs Rs. 50,000 for the 55-inch and Rs. 70,000 for the 65-inch. The Frame (2022) costs Rs. 75,000 for the 55-inch. Can the Frame TV be purchased below Rs. 70,000?

I'm down to these two choices. It's either I spend 50k or 70k of my budget range.

Get a measuring tape & measure the place where you intend to keep the TV.

Why do you want The Frame? You don't need the 120Hz & Sony's picture quality is good, almost as good as entry level Samsung QLED. Sure contrast is lacking on Sony but viewing angles are better.

Check this tool for size recommendation based on viewing distance but I found 55" to be great at about 1.5m or so as well, was a very immersive experience.
www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-size/size-to-distance-relationship

My parent's place has the 55" TV about 2.5m away now, so it looks small now vs their old place.

Samsung's recommendation:

 

[sudhir_3193]

Avoid samsung tvs, they have high failure rate. For tvs sony>LG>samsung

 

[powerstarprince]

I measured the distance from the TV to the sofa. The length of the living room is around 13 to 14 feet. The distance to the farthest sofa would be 12 to 13 feet. There is a large sofa to the left and chairs to the right of the TV. Their distance would be around 8 feet or less. The minimum viewing distance is easily covered for the 55-inch and 65-inch TVs from the chart.

I found another chart for comparison. The view distances are shown below:
40-inch, Full HD will be around 5 to 5.5 feet (My current Sony TV)
55-inch, 4K will be 3.5 to 4 feet
65-inch, 4K will be 4 to 4.5 feet

The above information might benefit the 65-inch TV more.

Then, I found another chart for the optimum distance. I posted the link to the chart below:
*www.avsforum.com/media/no-title.133629/full

It looks like the 55-inch would be better than the 65-inch TV at a distance of 12 to 13 feet.

The breadth of the wall to place the TV in my living room is 60 inches. The length of a 65-inch TV would be 58 inches. This would make it difficult to fit the TV onto the wall. On the other hand, the 55-inch TV would be 48 inches. If there is a 60-inch TV available, that would be the best size for my wall.

With the above statistics, I think the decision for a 55-inch or a 65-inch TV can be answered.

The Frame TV looks innovative and beautiful. I would buy it if the 55-inch variant came below Rs. 70,000.

For my current TV, I think the following would be noticeable upgrades:
Sony Bravia X74L improves 4K resolution, size, LED-backlit, Smart TV features
Samsung the Frame (2022) enhances sound (40w), refresh rate (100Hz), and brighter colours (qLED) in addition to the above

 

[omega44-xt]

Regarding, The Frame, my question comes back to why you need a high refresh rate TV?

With TVs, bigger the better, hence my recommendation of 65" X74K/X74L. IMO X74K is enough for most people upgrading from an inferior TV (unless there's a physical constrait like space or mounting point). For a noticeable improvement in picture quality, you need to spend 100k+ on a 55" FALD LCD TV or OLED.

A friend of mine was in the dilemma of size vs picture quality, he was considering LG A2 55" at under 80k, but it went OOS. Later he decided to spend more because of low peak brightness of A2, he ended up buying 55" G3 for 135k. His viewing distance is 1.5m to 2.5m for the furthest sofa for reference & TV is absolutely gorgeous to look at when I checked it out. My flatmate has a cheap Vu 43" 4K, even that looks great for movies vs my 27" 1440p Asus gaming monitor because of size & good enough picture quality. I know, not everyone can afford OLED but most people don't need an OLED.

 

[powerstarprince]

I understand that the Sony Bravia X74K/X74L would be sufficient for me. The 65-inch TV would have done well. But I'm doubtful whether the TV can fit on the wall.

I thought the Samsung Frame TV had a better picture quality, more features and better design. It would be well spent for an additional 20k price. But I'm doubtful whether I can purchase the TV below Rs 70,000.

I was interested in the LG A2 55-inch TV while it was under sale. The Sales rep told me that entry-level LG OLEDs are not that great. I do not want to spend more than 100k for a better OLED TV.

Are the Samsung QN85C and QN90B FALD TVs? I saw their picture quality was even better. I was quoted Rs 90,000 for the QN85C and Rs 1,00,000 for the QN90B models. But again, the TVs would be an overkill for my usage.

My choice again comes down to Sony X74L vs Samsung the Frame. Why is a higher refresh rate, such as 100Hz, not better than the regular 50Hz on a TV apart from gaming?

I think the Frame TV is more similar to Q70C than Q60C. It also comes close to the Q80C. It means the Frame (2022) uses mini-LEDs. Here's the order from Samsung TVs:
QLED: Q60C (Entry-level), Q70C (Upper entry-level), The Frame (Upper entry-level), Q80C (Lower mid-range)
Neo QLED: QN85C (Mid-range), QN90C (Upper mid-range)

 

[omega44-xt]

Yes, QN85C & QN90B are FALD & you will notice that these are better for HDR vs non-FALD TVs. 90k for 55" QN85C with 500 zones is a good deal.

Again, IMO The Frame doesn't offer enough jump in picture quality to justify the price jump over X74K, unless gaming is also a priority (assuming you don;t want Hisense U7K). Sony TVs have poor response times in general as well, so The Frame will be better in this aspect along with refresh rate. Most TV content are 24fps, some 30fps & some YT videos are 60fps. So 100Hz is useless for watching videos/movies. I don't like the soap opera effect that motion interpolation results in.

Yes, The Frame is closer to Q70 series than Q60 series, for some reason The Frame is much cheaper than Q70 in India, not the case for USA.

 

[powerstarprince]

Now I understand better. I have a second 40-inch TV in my home. It's the TCL 40R300 without the smart TV features. I purchased it for around ₹20,000. I watched Interstellar last night, and the picture quality was a lot better than the Sony TV in my home. The difference comes from the LED backlit on the TCL vs Sony.

Sony has a good picture, but now that the red lines have come, I cannot compare them.

I don't prefer the higher refresh rate motion in movies, either. FALD or OLED TVs are better options to improve picture quality. But both TVs cost more than ₹1 lakh.

Can you compare the Samsung QN85C and the LG A3? Both cost around ₹90,000.

Unless the above TVs are great, my choice will be Sony X74K/X74L for replacement. Simple, I spend either 50k for the 55-inch or 70k for the 65-inch.

 

[omega44-xt]

Now I understand better. I have a second 40-inch TV in my home. It's the TCL 40R300 without the smart TV features. I purchased it for around ₹20,000. I watched Interstellar last night, and the picture quality was a lot better than the Sony TV in my home. The difference comes from the LED backlit on the TCL vs Sony.

Sony has a good picture, but now that the red lines have come, I cannot compare them.

I don't prefer the higher refresh rate motion in movies, either. FALD or OLED TVs are better options to improve picture quality. But both TVs cost more than ₹1 lakh.

Can you compare the Samsung QN85C and the LG A3? Both cost around ₹90,000.

Unless the above TVs are great, my choice will be Sony X74K/X74L for replacement. Simple, I spend either 50k for the 55-inch or 70k for the 65-inch.

A3 wasn't reviewed by rtings.com. Just use their tool:
www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/lg-a2-oled-vs-samsung-qn85c-qn85cd-qled/31239/38907?usage=1&threshold=0.10

As I said earlier, if your room isn't too bright, I will prefer LG A2/A3. But QN85C will be the safer choice as A2 has lower sustained brightness than even 5 years old LG C9. I use my 400nit monitor at 10% brightness, might be 100-120nits or so in reality. My room isn't bright, so A2 won't be an issue for me at all even for daytime usage.

 

[powerstarprince]

I decided to purchase the Sony Bravia X82L 55-inch TV. I think it would be the best television to serve our purpose. It should cost around ₹65,000 from a nearby dealer. As I said earlier, I may not need a TV with more than a 60Hz refresh rate.

 

[omega44-xt]

I decided to purchase the Sony Bravia X82L 55-inch TV. I think it would be the best television to serve our purpose. It should cost around ₹65,000 from a nearby dealer. As I said earlier, I may not need a TV with more than a 60Hz refresh rate.

Congrats

As mentioned earlier, I don't recommend it just because the improvements are marginal & not significant. But you need to pay significantly more for significant improvement though.

 

[powerstarprince]

I went to the electronics store today to finalise the price for the Sony Bravia X82L 55-inch TV. I considered it a great deal if it cost anywhere between Rs 60,000-65,000. To my surprise, the TV was priced at around Rs 80,000 and with card discounts, it can reach close to Rs 70,000.

I enquired about other TVs similar to the competition. Here are some of the models.

Sony Bravia X75L and Samsung Q60C are in the same league and cost Rs 55,000-60,000.
Samsung Q70C and LG QNED81 cost Rs 65,000-70,000.

In my experience, the picture was better on the LG QNED81 model than the Samsung TVs. It is also priced similarly to the Sony Bravia X82L but costs less with discounts. Does anyone know the year in which LG QNED81 was released? Is it 2022 or 2023?

Can anyone compare these TVs and order them? I think this is the order.

LG QNED81 > Sony Bravia X82L = Samsung Q70C > Samsung Q60C > Sony Bravia X75L

Should I spend more and purchase one of these TVs or buy the one that is priced the lowest? My budget is between Rs 50,000-70,000. Sony Bravia X75L would be a satisfactory purchase for a new TV. Are the other TVs listed here worth the increased price?

 

[omega44-xt]

I went to the electronics store today to finalise the price for the Sony Bravia X82L 55-inch TV. I considered it a great deal if it cost anywhere between Rs 60,000-65,000. To my surprise, the TV was priced at around Rs 80,000 and with card discounts, it can reach close to Rs 70,000.

I enquired about other TVs similar to the competition. Here are some of the models.

Sony Bravia X75L and Samsung Q60C are in the same league and cost Rs 55,000-60,000.
Samsung Q70C and LG QNED81 cost Rs 65,000-70,000.

In my experience, the picture was better on the LG QNED81 model than the Samsung TVs. It is also priced similarly to the Sony Bravia X82L but costs less with discounts. Does anyone know the year in which LG QNED81 was released? Is it 2022 or 2023?

Can anyone compare these TVs and order them? I think this is the order.

LG QNED81 > Sony Bravia X82L = Samsung Q70C > Samsung Q60C > Sony Bravia X75L

Should I spend more and purchase one of these TVs or buy the one that is priced the lowest? My budget is between Rs 50,000-70,000. Sony Bravia X75L would be a satisfactory purchase for a new TV. Are the other TVs listed here worth the increased price?

No idea. Last I checked TVs offline in depth was in 2021 or so, I didn't observe much difference between entry level 4K TVs from Samsung/LG/Sony & higher ones, till you reach FALD & OLED. So that remains my stand, save money with X74L or go all in on proper FALD or OLED TV.

Check them locally & see if those picture quality uplift seems noticeable enough for you to spend more. You will never get a proper HDR without FALD or OLED. Edge lit FALD TVs with few zones (upto 8) are worse than no FALD TV IMO. I have a monitor with 4 FALD edge zones.

To some extent picture quality is subjective as well, especially the vibrance & saturation levels. But mostly it can be objectively defined like how rtings.com does. Again, I don't think you need a 120Hz TV, but your call on that. Most console games don't supprot 120fps anyways, ALLM will be nice to have though.

www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/qned80-2023

 

[TheSloth]

omega pretty much summed it up. Sony also has better processing so if you are going to watch Netflix Prime or may be a low quality content, Sony is a better choice. But verify this yourself in showroom.