Four TVs from 2023 still worth buying

TVs don't get long in the spotlight. They have but one year to make their mark before they are replaced. That's happening to 2023's TVs now, but there are some you shouldn't overlook in favour of their shiny new cousins.

There's a few reasons why. Older TVs are cheaper and, for all the marketing bluster around new features and technology, there won't be much to pick between the excellent TVs from last year and the new ones on the horizon.

We're going to get into what's new in 2024 TVs, but first here are four TVs from 2023 that are still available and worth considering over the new hotness.

Now is a great time to buy a TV, assuming it's from 2023, so take a look at our top TV deals

40 to 43-inch TV: LG OLED42C34LA (£799)

Given that 42-inch OLEDs are the smallest you'd expect them to be cheaper, but when they launch they are often as pricey as 48-inch models.

Why is that? Well, 42-inch OLEDs are newer so their manufacture isn't as streamlined and, globally at least, smaller TVs aren't as popular so fewer are made. 

The OLED42C34LA cost north of £1,200 when it launched a year ago, but its price has fallen steeply since (don't worry, this isn't unusual or some sign of the OLED being a stinker).

What's more, it's one of LG's most high-end TVs, so it's not short on features, particularly if you're a gamer. High-end models usually get the most attention from their manufacturers during development, too, like a parent with a favourite child. This coupled with the advanced tech and features gives them the best chance of success, and by waiting longer to buy one you're not paying as much for it.

Check our LG OLED42C34LA review to see whether it has picture and sound quality worth forking out for.

48 to 50-inch TV: Samsung QE50Q80C (£627)

This one's already gone off sale at the biggest retailers, but there are still some tucked away at smaller stores. So, does that mean it was a popular set or did Samsung not bother to make many?

We don't get treated with that sort of insider information, but we can tell you a bit about the TV. It's a 50 incher with a QLED display, which adds some quantum dots onto the standard layer of liquid crystals (two terms you'll forget in approximately five minutes), which are designed to boost colour.

You get object tracking sound, too, which simulates sound coming from more exact points on screen, such as an actor's mouth or a firing gun muzzle.

The has tech to boost picture and sound, but do either of these features add up to a better TV? Read the Samsung QE50Q80C review for our full verdict. 

55-inch TV: LG OLED55B36LA (£889)

The price of this still pretty high-end OLED really puts the cost of the far smaller 42-inch OLED42C34LA in context: it's only £89 more despite being 13 inches bigger.

This B3 OLED is missing a few features the C3 models do, namely a few HDMI 2.1 inputs (not the biggest issue if you aren't a gamer) and doesn't have 'evo' tech in the screen, which boosts brightness. 

The biggest difference is the processor: the beefier one in the C3 should do better at upscaling content and generally improving the picture. 

It's still an OLED though and it's hard to argue with the price. It cost closer to £1,500 at launch and choosing the marginally more high-end OLED55C34LA will cost you around £200 more.

Does that mean cheaper OLEDs aren't worth it, or is the B3 good enough? Read our LG OLED55B36LA review to find out.

65-inch TV: Samsung QE65QN85C (£929)

Meet the QE50Q80C's flashier cousin: the QE65QN85C. This model swaps a QLED display for a Neo QLED one. Sounds cool and fancy, and it is. It has the same colour-boosting quantum dots, but makes the LEDs in the backlight much smaller. 

Having more LEDs affords the QN85C more control over what parts of the screen are lit and improves contrast. It's a technology that's got OLEDs in its crosshairs. OLEDs don't have backlights, the pixels provide their own light and this precise control over contrast is something backlit TVs have struggled to match. Mini LED backlit TVs like this one should close the gap between the two display types.

It's similar spec to one of Samsung's OLEDs, but costs a bit less, so if that display lives up to its potential then it's an excellent alternative.

Read our Samsung QE65QN85C review to see if all the promise is realised.

What's new in 2024's TVs

There's a sense of history repeating itself this year as big brands talk up artificial intelligence (AI), except this was a bandwagon they all jumped on five years ago. So, while AI might be better implemented this year, it's not strictly new.

What does AI even do for TVs anyway? It's not the sort you interact with. Instead, TV AI is very much behind the scenes and focused on picture and sound optimisation. One of the clearest use cases is taking an image and using AI to sharpen it and balance the colours, which could be handy for older content at lower resolutions. 

TVs have been doing this for years, but AI has come on leaps and bounds recently, and this could benefit TVs, too. However, given how AI has been operating quietly on TVs for half a decade, we suspect any improvements will be incremental.

And that's the usual story for each annual drop of TVs: incremental improvements that rarely make them worth spending more on while their predecessors are still available. If you're in the market for a TV today, choose one from last year.

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