Coming soon: the new TVs we simply can't wait to test

The dams have burst, the floodgates have opened and a torrent of brand-new TVs is pouring into stores across the country. 

It's the same every year. The previous year's TVs are swept aside and – while a few old models stick around – it's hard to resist the temptation of shiny new ones featuring prominently in storefronts and adverts (both digital and physical).

While we don't think it's necessary for manufacturers to release hundreds of new TVs every year, it's tantalising to see the updates made by leading brands. The tight schedule of new ranges every 12 months means there isn't much time for seismic improvements, but the models we've picked have something that's got us excited.

Best TV deals for May 2023 – see which discounted models from last year are still available

Samsung S95C

Samsung was late to OLED. When it joined, the party was already in full swing, with LG, Panasonic and Sony dancing the night away. 

OLEDs are very popular, and costs are coming down each year, thanks in particular to the addition of LG's A range. So here comes Samsung, creeping in late, trying to suss out the vibe and get into the swing of things.

Samsung did a good job with its 2022 OLEDs and now it's ready to really make its mark.

OLEDs don't have a backlight so they're often barely thicker than a few credit cards, with a bulkier lower section housing the speakers and chipboards. The Q95C, however, is thick all over (relatively speaking, at least – it's still only 11mm deep without a stand).

LG's OLEDs dominate the market and all have down-firing speakers built into the lower portion of the chassis. This is no bad thing and we found the 2022 models perfectly pleasant to listen to. Samsung's thicker design, however, means it can dot speakers directly behind and to the side of different parts of the screen.

This means Samsung's OLED can make full use of OTS+ or Object Tracking Sound+. The aim of this tech is to locate the audio in specific and accurate parts of the picture, such as an actors mouth or a car engine.

It's not the first time we've seen novel approaches to getting good sound from a super-thin TV: Sony pioneered acoustic surface tech, which vibrates the screen, and Panasonic LZ2000 OLED had upward-firing speakers to take advantage of Dolby Atmos.

Samsung may not be the first to develop new tech for sound on its OLEDs, but we're still excited to see what difference it makes.

The S95C is in the queue to be tested, but you can check out its predecessor in our Samsung QE55S95B review. Alternatively, see all our Samsung TV reviews.

LG 43UR80006LJ

Yes, we want to test the OLED G3 and C3 – with their Alpha 6 Gen 6 processor with 'Alpha Reality' technology and AI Super Upscaling Pro – and test them we will. But we're more interested in seeing if LG can stay on board the Great Value train.

We introduced our Great Value badge to showcase good-quality products that cost far less than average. In TVs, that means it scores at least 65% overall, and the vast majority of the TVs earning that badge last year had LG's name on.

The 43-inch 43UE80006LJ is an entry-level TV at a popular size. It's a prime candidate for a Great Value badge, but consistency isn't a given in TVs. We've seen brands rise and fall in the most unexpected ways and there are very few TVs we'd bank on being Best Buys or Great Value.

On paper, the 43UR80006LJ – along with the 50, 55 and 65-inch models in the same range – aren't doing much new. There's no headline-grabbing feature or tech upgrade, but there rarely is at the basic end of a TV line-up. 

We don't need LG to reinvent the wheel with this TV. Improvement would be nice, but we'll settle for consistency and another Great Value TV.

Looking to buy an LG set right now? Check out all our LG TV reviews

Take a look at our Great Value TV reviews to see the cheaper TVs we recommend.

Hisense ULED X

We're eternal optimists and no matter how many times Hisense burns us, we'll still open our lab doors to its annual line-up with a smile on our faces. The smile may slip when we start watching a lot of them but, in 2022, Hisense came as close as it ever has to a Best Buy.

If Hisense can build on that performance, then it could finally get its hands on a Best Buy rosette – and the ULED X looks like a strong candidate. 

It's a Mini-LED TV (like Samsung's Neo QLED models), which means the bulbs in the backlight are minuscule. Their tiny size means more of them can be packed in to create better and more dynamic contrast, with searing whites and deep blacks.

It uses quantum dots, too, which should create bold colours to enhance the rich contrast.

It's a full-featured TV with advanced HDR formats and gaming features, as well as 4.1.2 audio, which means upward-firing speakers.

Hisense has had a rocky road in our labs, but there are some diamonds – well, maybe just cubic zirconia – in the rough. See how it compares to leading brands in our Hisense vs LG and Samsung guide.

Honourable mentions

• Amazon Fire TV series – three 4K ranges from entry level to mid-range, available at launch for the kind of low prices it normally takes months for a TV to reach, from one of the biggest companies on Earth – this is an exciting prospect.
• Panasonic MZ2000 – some of Panasonic's OLEDs had almost perfect 4K picture quality, so we're intrigued to see if the same is true of the 2023 version – and whether it has the sound to match.
• Sony Mini-LED TVs – Mini-LED is still fairly new and only Samsung uses it much. We're looking forward to seeing what Sony can do with the technology.

Why haven't we reviewed these TVs yet?

Although we get advanced access and are able to look at the TVs before their release dates, we can't fully lab test these models.

We buy every TV we test, meaning we don't accept models directly from manufacturers, so we get the same experience that you do when you buy one yourself. However, this also means we have to wait until the TVs become available to the public before we can fully test them.

Given the in-depth nature of our testing, we can only test so many TVs at once. Spring and summer are the busiest seasons for TV launches and, during those periods, we're regularly testing more than 50 TVs at a time. 

We could cut corners to get our reviews out quicker, but then we couldn't say with confidence that our TV reviews are the best, most comprehensive assessments you can read.

That's worth waiting for, right? And don't forget – it's best to avoid buying a new TV at launch because their prices will be sky-high. We recommend waiting at least until Black Friday before reaching for your credit card.

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