Happy Holidays! This article is part of our Holiday 2021 Gift Guide where you can find the best-of-the-best recommendations from How-To Geek, LifeSavvy, and Review Geek to help you pick the perfect gift for everyone on your list!
What to Look for in a 65-inch TV in 2021
TV manufacturers love to coin new marketing terms to advertise their products, so it’s easy to get confused while finding which TV is best for you. Fortunately, remembering a few basic things can go a long way in picking the right television.
One of the most important things to check in a TV is its display technology. You’ll primarily find OLED and LED-backlit LCD TVs (also called LED TVs) on the market. OLED TVs provide perfect blacks and a near-infinite contrast ratio thanks to their self-emissive pixels, resulting in stunning picture quality. However, OLED TVs are expensive, have relatively lower brightness than LED TVs, and can suffer from burn-in.
In comparison, LED TVs are typically cheaper and have higher brightness, making them great for brightly lit and sunny rooms. That said, they can’t match the contrast ratio or black levels of the OLED TVs. However, technologies like full-array local dimming (FALD) and quantum dot can significantly improve the picture quality of a LED TV.
Another critical thing to consider is the use case. For example, are you into gaming, watching movies, or doing a little bit of everything? Features like HDMI 2.1 support, a higher refresh rate panel, and a variable refresh rate (VRR) are essential for gaming. In contrast, movie lovers may want better HDR support, upscaling capability, and enhanced picture processing.
Lastly, with almost every TV being smart these days, it’s also worth thinking about the smart TV platform used on the set. So if you prefer one platform over the other, it’s better to look for it while deciding on a new TV. That said, you can always buy a streaming device to use a different platform on a TV of your choosing.
Now, let’s jump into our recommendations.
RELATED: How to Buy a TV: What You Need to Know
Best 65-inch TV Overall: LG C1
Pros
- ✓ Stunning picture quality with perfect blacks
- ✓ Four HDMI 2.1 ports for next-generation gaming
- ✓ Excellent viewing angles
- ✓ Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 support
Cons
- ✗ Susceptible to burn-in
- ✗ Not suited for rooms with a lot of light
Over the last several years, LG’s OLED TVs have consistently ranked among the best televisions on the market, and the LG C1 is no different. It is an excellent television for most use cases and comes with various exciting features. So if you are looking for a 65-inch TV, the LG C1 is your best bet.
There is a lot to like in the C1. It has a beautiful design and comes with excellent build quality. In addition, the TV uses a 4K OLED panel, so you get perfect blacks and a near-infinite contrast ratio, making it great for dark-room viewing.
Although the OLED panel in the C1 doesn’t get bright enough for rooms with a lot of light, it is enough for a good HDR experience. And as LG has included support for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, you’ll have plenty of HDR content to enjoy. Dolby Vision IQ is the upgraded version of Dolby Vision, and it helps TVs adjust their HDR performance to match the room’s lighting conditions.
The LG C1 also excels on the gaming front and has four HDMI 2.1 ports for next-generation gaming. So whether you have the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, you’ll be able to game in 4K at 120fps. In addition, there is support for AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync, and HDMI Forum VRR to avoid any screen tearing.
One drawback: The LG C1 is susceptible to burn-in because of its OLED panel, but the company includes several features to help you avoid it.
LG C1
LG C1 is a great OLED TV. Powered by webOS, it comes with a ton of exciting features, including support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10.
Best 65-inch Budget TV: Hisense 65U7G
Pros
- ✓ Excellent contrast ratio with lifelike colors
- ✓ Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
- ✓ Next-gen gaming features with 4K@120fps gaming
- ✓ Value for money
Cons
- ✗ Narrow viewing angles
- ✗ Stutter in slow panning shots
Budget TVs have come a long way in the last few years, and getting one no longer means getting a sub-standard performance. Some TVs like Hisense U7G can even take on their high-end counterparts.
The Hisense U7G is an excellent all-around television. Whether you like to watch movies and TV shows or play games, the U7G shines in pretty much everything. It also looks good and has a decent build quality.
Thanks to the TV’s quantum dot technology and LED backlighting, you get vibrant colors and high brightness in terms of picture quality. It also has a tremendous native contrast ratio and produces deep blacks, so if you like watching TV in the dark, you’ll get a great experience.
In addition, all major next-gen gaming features like a 120Hz panel, two HDMI 2.1 ports, support for AMD FreeSync VRR, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) are present in the TV. It also provides a remarkably low input lag and good response time.
Android TV handles the software duties so that you will get a nice and smooth interface with a great app selection, including all popular streaming services.
Hisense 65U7G
Hisense sells some of the best budget TVs, and the 65U7G is an excellent example of that. It shines in pretty much everything from movie watching to playing games.
$869.00 
$1099.99 Save 21%
Best 65-inch 8K TV: Samsung QN900A
Pros
- ✓ Vibrant colors and deep blacks
- ✓ Sleek and edge-to-edge design
- ✓ Great at upscaling content to 8K
- ✓ Next-generation gaming features
Cons
- ✗ Blooming around bright objects
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ No Dolby Vision support
Although 8K content is still rare, 8K TVs are an excellent way to experience the cutting edge of television technology and future-proof your home theater. If you are ready to make the jump, getting the Samsung QN900A makes the most sense.
Part of the company’s 2021 8K lineup, the QN900A is a sleek-looking TV that comes with a slim profile and an edge-to-edge design for an immersive experience. It will look fantastic whether you hang it on a wall or place it on an entertainment center. The television is also well put together and feels as premium as its price is.
The QN900A uses a Mini-LED backlit LCD panel with a quantum dot layer to offer vibrant colors and high brightness. The company has also included its Ultra Viewing Angle technology to enhance the viewing angles.
While you may not find much native 8K content, the Samsung QN900A is excellent at upscaling, so 4K, 1080p, 720p, and even 480p content looks good on the set.
If you are into gaming and plan to give 8K gaming a try, you’ll be happy to know that this TV shines in the gaming department. Not only it has a very low input lag and excellent response time, but it also supports Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync VRR formats. In addition, all four HDMI ports on the TV are HDMI 2.1, allowing you to game in 4K at 120fps or in 8K at 60fps.
Unfortunately, the QN900A’s native contrast ratio is very low, but the onboard full-array local dimming helps it a lot. As a result, the TV produces deep blacks, but you will notice some blooming in dark rooms. Also, there is no Dolby Vision support, but you do get HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG.
Samsung QN900A
Looking for an 8K TV, the Samsung QN900A provides a fantastic experience without costing a fortune. It also has next-gen gaming features, great upscaling support, and a sleek design.
Best 65-inch Gaming TV: LG G1
Pros
- ✓ Four HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K@120fps gaming
- ✓ AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync, HDMI Forum VRR support
- ✓ TV looks beautiful when mounted on a wall
- ✓ Fantastic picture quality
- ✓ Five-year limited OLED panel warranty
Cons
- ✗ Burn-in concerns
- ✗ Expensive than LG C1, which is also great at gaming
- ✗ No tabletop stand in the box
If you are looking for a television to complement your new Xbox, PlayStation, or gaming PC, there is no better option than the LG G1. It comes with pretty much every gaming-related feature you would want, including a 120Hz panel and four HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K gaming at 120fps. You also get support for AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-Sync, and HDMI Forum VRR.
In addition, the TV packs ALLM, which automatically switches the G1 into Game Mode when a game is launched on a connected console. It also has a very low input lag and a great response time for a lag-free and immersive gaming experience.
LG G1 is one of the company’s most attractive televisions. It carries LG’s Gallery design that looks beautiful, especially if you plan on wall mounting it. In addition, the TV packs the new and brighter OLED evo panel, which is one of the TV’s highlights.
While the increased brightness doesn’t make a big difference in SDR content, it truly shines in HDR. And considering the TV has support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10, you will have plenty of HDR content to consume.
Like other OLED TVs, the picture quality of the G1 is fantastic. You get perfect blacks, making other colors pop on the screen. The TV is also great at handling reflections and glare and offers wide viewing angles.
Unfortunately, as the television is designed to be mounted on a wall, LG doesn’t supply a tabletop stand in the box. Also, OLED burn-in is a concern for LG G1, but the company is offering a five-year limited warranty on the panel to alleviate the fear.
LG G1
LG G1 is the best gaming TV you can buy. It supports all next-generation gaming features and packs the company’s new and brighter OLED evo panel.
Best 65-inch TV for Movies: Sony A90J
Pros
- ✓ Beautiful edge-to-edge design
- ✓ High brightness for an OLED panel
- ✓ Dolby Vision and HDR10 support
- ✓ Best in class image processing
Cons
- ✗ Susceptible to OLED burn-in
- ✗ Some next-gen gaming features missing at launch
- ✗ Expensive than LG OLED TVs
The Sony A90J is the company’s flagship OLED television, and for a good reason. It provides stunning picture quality with top-notch HDR performance and fantastic color accuracy. So if you watch a lot of movies, there is no better option than the Sony A90J on the market right now.
Thanks to the company’s XR OLED Pro technology, A90J can produce some of the highest brightness levels for an OLED panel, topping pretty much everything on the market. Combined with the trademark perfect blacks of the OLED panels, you get a remarkable contrast ratio.
While most modern TVs aren’t known for their sound quality, the Sony A90J is different. It has one of the best sound systems in a TV, and you will be surprised to see how deep and loud it can be. Of course, it’s still not the same as getting a dedicated soundbar or speaker system, but the audio performance of the Sony TV sets it apart from other premium televisions.
The TV also does a great job of upscaling content, so you will be able to enjoy your DVD collection without issues. In addition, there is support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG for access to tons of HDR movies.
The Sony A90J doesn’t just produce beautiful pictures; it also looks fantastic. The company has included a new stand with the TV that can be set up in one of two ways, allowing you to place the TV flush against the table or raised, creating space for a soundbar.
Although Sony has packed two HDMI 2.1 ports on the TV, it is missing a couple of next-generation gaming features. The company has promised to add them via a future firmware update, but there’s no guarantee when that’ll happen. In addition, being an OLED TV, the A90J is also susceptible to burn-in.
Still, if you want the best movie experience, the Sony A90J is the TV you want.
Sony A90J
The Sony A90J not only looks beautiful, but it also provides a stunning picture quality. In addition, it is one of the best-sounding TVs on the market.
Best 65-inch Roku TV: TCL 65R635
Pros
- ✓ Great picture quality
- ✓ Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
- ✓ VRR and ALLM support
- ✓ Value for money
Cons
- ✗ No HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K@120fps gaming
- ✗ Blooming around bright objects
If you prefer the Roku smart TV platform and want to get it on your next set, the TCL R635 is your best option. It is not only an excellent Roku TV, but it also offers excellent value for money.
The TCL R635 is a 4K LCD TV with Mini-LED backlighting and quantum dot technology, which means it produces vibrant and lifelike colors with high levels of brightness. It also includes support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG formats for HDR content.
The TV also has an incredible contrast ratio because of its Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, further improved by full-array local dimming. However, local dimming results in blooming and black crush on the TV.
In addition, the R635 lacks the next-generation gaming features as TCL has not included any HDMI 2.1 ports on the TV, so you won’t be able to game in 4K at 120fps. However, the TV has a low input lag and a great response time, so you’ll still be able to enjoy games in 1440p @120fps on Xbox Series X or 1080p games at 120fps on PS5. VRR and ALLM support is also present.
TCL 65R635
Roku is excellent, and if you need a TV with Roku, there is no better option than the TCL R635. It’s also one of the best TVs under $1,000.
$898.00 $1499.99 Save 40%
Best 65-inch LED TV: Samsung QN90A
Pros
- ✓ Vibrant and lifelike colors and high brightness
- ✓ HDR10+ support and fantastic HDR performance
- ✓ Decent viewing angles
- ✓ Next-generation gaming features
Cons
- ✗ Only one HDMI 2.1 port
- ✗ Local dimming causes blooming
- ✗ No Dolby Vision support
While OLED TVs are great for dark-room viewing, they don’t get bright enough to counter glare in a well-lit room. So if you are buying a new TV for a room with a lot of light, you are better off with an LED TV. And the TV we recommend in 65-inch size is Samsung’s QN90A.
It is a part of Samsung’s Neo QLED lineup, which means it uses Mini-LED backlighting instead of the traditional LED backlighting. Additionally, as the QLED in the TV’s name suggests, the QN90A employs quantum dot technology to produce realistic colors and offer a wide color gamut.
Thanks to its support for HDR10+ Adaptive, the QN90A can dynamically enhance the HDR10+ content by using its metadata and the room’s lighting conditions. So the TV’s HDR performance is fantastic. Samsung’s AI-based upscaling also works very well, and everything from 480p DVDs to 1080p content looks great in 4K.
In addition, the Samsung TV has an excellent native contrast ratio that FALD further improves. But local dimming results in some blooming around bright objects.
You’ll also be happy to know that the TV support next-generation gaming features, like 4K gaming at 120fps, VRR, and ALLM. Unfortunately, there is only one HDMI 2.1 port onboard. But, if you’re not looking for an OLED panel but still want a great TV, you can’t beat the QN90A.
Samsung QN90A
The Samsung QN90A is an excellent LED TV that offers fantastic picture quality. It also includes next-gen gaming features for your Xbox or PlayStation gaming sessions.
