Best 65-Inch TV for 2023: Tested and Reviewed – CNET

$808 at Best Buy

Vizio MQX

Best midpriced 65-inch TV (Update: Currently unavailable)

A 65-inch TV might seem like an enormous screen to some people. But that screen size is considered a “sweet spot” of living room entertainment these days. The best 65-inch TVs are big enough to turn your main living space into a home theater, but not so big that they completely dominate the room. It helps too that most of the best TVs around come in a 65-inch size — it’s one of the most popular and common sizes among sizable big screens. And that vast selection means you can find a number of models at a reasonable price. 

The best of the best right now is the TCL 6-Series Roku TV. It’s the TV I’d recommend first to anyone who wants excellent picture quality and features without spending a ton of money. I’ve tested a lot of other 65-inch TVs, however, and many are also excellent for different budgets and priorities. Here’s my picks for the best 65-inch TV options available now.

Read more: There’s Actually a Better Place to Mount Your TV

Best 65-inch TVs

David Katzmaier/CNET

For the last five years, the TCL 6-Series has been our favorite TV for the money, and the latest version — also known as the R655 series — is no exception. This TV has an excellent image thanks to mini-LED tech and well-implemented full-array local dimming that helps it run circles around just about any other TV at this price. It improves upon the previous R635 series with new gaming extras and a center-mount stand that you can elevate to make room for a soundbar. And, finally, its Roku TV operating system is our hands-down favorite.

David Katzmaier/CNET

The C2 represents the pinnacle of picture quality at a price that’s admittedly high but not too ridiculous. It beats any non-OLED TV on this list, including the Samsung QN90B below, with its perfect black levels, unbeatable contrast and superb off-angle viewing. It also has superb gaming features, making it the perfect companion to an Xbox Series X or S, PlayStation 5 or both. The C2 comes in a variety of sizes as well, although the bigger models are expensive.

The Samsung QN90B QLED TV sits on a wooden tabletop stand.
Bobby Oliver/CNET

Sizes 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-inchTV Technology QLED with Mini-LEDSmart TV Yes (Tizen)Resolution 4KHDMI Ports 4

Looking for a high-end TV with spectacular image quality, but don’t want an OLED? The Samsung QN90B is your best bet. This TV uses QLED TV tech augmented by mini-LED for a brighter image than any OLED TV. The spectacular contrast of OLED still won out in our side-by-side tests, but the QN90B QLED screen comes closer than ever.

David Katzmaier

The picture quality of the TCL 4-Series Roku TV was a step behind the Vizio V-Series in our budget TV test, but the differences between the two are slight enough that you’d really have to have them set up side by side to notice anything at all. The 4-Series lacks Dolby Vision, Bluetooth connectivity and AMD FreeSync with a variable refresh rate, all of which the Vizio offers.

Josh Goldman/CNET

Sizes 55-, 65-, 75-inchTV Technology LED with local dimmingSmart TV Yes (Roku)Resolution 4KHDMI Ports 4

Competition among TVs in the middle pricing band is heating up and the Plus Series is the latest entrant in 2023. Unlike the TCL Roku TVs higher on this list, this one is all Roku, with no other brands on board. It adds a couple of step-up extras, including QLED and full-array local dimming, which help deliver a better picture than the TCL 4-Series, for example. It’s not as impressive as the Vizio MQX, though, since it lacks 120Hz for gaming and worse picture quality overall. If you value those extras, the Vizio is worth saving for, but if not the Roku Plus Series is a very good value.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Sizes 55-, 65, 75-inchTV Technology LED with local dimmingSmart TV Yes (Android TV)Resolution 4KHDMI Ports 4

Among midpriced models we liked the TCL 6-Series just a little better in our side-by-side comparison, but this Hisense is a strong contender. Its excellent image quality is anchored by best-in-class brightness that improves its bright-room picture quality and makes HDR TV movies, shows and games really pop. It’s actually brighter than the TCL with better contrast, but the TCL’s slightly more accurate image gave it the edge overall. The Hisense uses Google TV instead of Roku, and unlike the TCL, the U8H includes an ATSC 3.0 tuner. Frankly, you can’t go wrong with either one.

James Martin/CNET

Samsung is the brand that sells more TVs than anyone, and one of its most popular is the Q60 series. Its sleek QLED screen design stands out compared with the other TVs on this list — even though the ultrathin OLED models are sleeker — and it offers better features, image quality and more sizes than models like the TCL 4-Series and Sony X80K. The TVs listed in this article are all superior values, but if you want a Samsung TV and can’t afford the QN90B, this is a great choice.

David Katzmaier

Sizes 43-, 50-, 55-, 58- 65-, 70-, 75-inchTV Technology LEDSmart TV Yes (SmartCast)Resolution 4KHDMI Ports 3

When we compared the best budget TVs side-by-side, the picture quality of Vizio’s V-Series clearly emerged as the leader of the pack. The Vizio offered the most balanced and accurate picture during our comparisons, and it comes with some useful extras such as Dolby Vision support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth compatibility and variable refresh rate for potentially smoother gaming. The biggest downside of the Vizio is its smart TV platform, Vizio SmartCast. It’s crowded, slow and littered with ads for platforms such as Tubi and Kidoodle TV. Even when you factor in the cost of adding a new streaming device, however, the V-Series remains the best overall entry-level TV that we tested. 

David Katzmaier/CNET

Sizes 50-, 65-, 75-inchTV Technology LED with local dimmingSmart TV Yes (SmartCast)Resolution 4KHDMI Ports 4

The Vizio MQX is one of the least expensive TVs to feature full-array local dimming, which lets it reproduce TV shows, movies and games with enough contrast and pop to do HDR justice. The MQX has fewer dimming zones than more expensive TVs like the TCL 6-Series and Hisense U8H, but it offers 16 zones on the 50-inch, 30 on the 65-inch and 42 on the 75-inch, which is more than enough for excellent overall picture quality, with bright highlights, dark black levels, punchy contrast and accurate color.

Other 65-inch TVs we’ve tested

Sony KD-X80K series: Sony is a prominent brand and its higher-end TVs like the X90J do well in reviews, but the entry-level TV in its 2022 lineup, the X80K, didn’t make the list. It costs around the same as the TCL 6-Series and Samsung Q60 TVs, and had a worse picture than both, with lighter black levels and contrast. It’s definitely not a bad TV, and we liked its Google smart TV system, color accuracy and connectivity, but you can definitely do better for the money. Read our Sony KD-X80K series review.

Hisense A6H Series: This entry-level model has better style usual at this price, but in our best budget TVs roundup we preferred the picture quality Vizio V-Series and the TCL 4-Series overall. The A6H comes with Dolby Vision support, Bluetooth connectivity and DTS Virtual:X for simulated surround sound. We found that its Google TV system ran slower than on higher-end TVs like the Sony X80K. Read our budget TVs roundup.

How CNET tests TVs

Our TV reviews follow a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed over nearly two decades of TV reviews. Our primary TV test lab has specialized equipment for measuring light and color, including a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer, a Murideo Sig-G 4K HDR signal generator and an AVPro Connect 8×8 4K HDR distribution matrix. We use the Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate and calibrate every TV we review.

In every CNET TV review, three or more similar TVs are compared side-by-side in various lighting conditions with different content, including movies, TV shows and games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR. Our reviews also account for design, features, smart TV performance, HDMI input and gaming compatibility and more.

Read more: How We Test TVs

65-inch TV FAQs

Is a 65-inch TV big enough?

It depends on your room size, seating distance and personal taste. For a standard living room or larger bedroom a 65-inch TV is excellent, but for massive rooms we recommend a larger TV, say a 75- or even 85-inch model, if you can afford it. If you sit closer to the screen you don’t need as large a TV for the best experience. For maximum theatrical impact, according to THX and SMPTE, you should be between 6.5 and 9 feet from a 65-inch screen, although many viewers will find it more comfortable to sit a bit further back than that. Nearly every 65-inch TV has 4K resolution, and if you have 20/20 vision you can sit as close as about 4 feet and still not discern individual pixels. 

How wide is a 65-inch TV?

Most 65-inch TVs measure between 56 and 58 inches wide. Because the frames around newer TV screens are typically quite narrow, 65-inch TV widths don’t vary much. Models with very slim frames are on the lower end — the 65-inch LG C2 measures 56.7 inches wide for example, while the slightly thicker-framed 65-inch TCL 4-Series is 57.4 inches wide. If you’re not planning to wall-mount the TV, you generally want the piece of furniture supporting the TV to measure at least as wide as the TV itself, and preferably a few inches wider. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for exact dimensions of a particular 65-inch TV.

How much does a 65-inch TV weigh?

A 65-inch TV weighs between 37 and 75 pounds with its stand, but this varies significantly depending on the type of TV. The TCL 4-Series 65-inch TV weighs 38.1 pounds with stand, for example, while the Samsung QN90B weighs nearly twice as much at 69 pounds with stand. Removing the stand — which often consists of a pair of little legs under the panel — allows you to wall-mount the TV and reduces its weight slightly (stands weigh between 1 and 8 pounds). Shipping weight (box, accessories, etc.) of 65-inch TVs ranges from 55 to 91 pounds. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for exact weights of a particular 65-inch TV.

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Best 65-Inch TV for 2023: Tested and Reviewed – CNET
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