What is a smart TV? Best smart TVs for 2024

A smart TV is an internet-connected television that offers a range of online features, such as on-demand content from apps like BBC iPlayer, ITVX and All 4, access to streaming services like Netflix, and the ability to connect to other wireless devices like smartphones.

Almost all TVs are now smart, so there are plenty of models to choose from.

'Smart' also covers things like voice control, which can do most of what a standard remote can, and some TVs even double as smart hubs, giving you control over smart bulbs, thermostats and other devices. 

In this guide, we'll explain what a smart TV is, show you some of the best ones and tell you more about the features available from each brand. We'll also show you how to stay secure and protect your privacy while using a smart TV.

Just want to see great smart TVs? We've got hundreds of expertly tested models to suit all needs and budgets in our TV reviews.

The best smart TVs for 2024

There's no perfect smart menu and the vast majority share the same glaring issue: ads. Open a smart menu on a new TV and you'll find the majority of the screen is taken up with adverts for streaming apps and trailers for new shows, or recommendations for what you should watch next. The latter is somewhat useful, but these recommendations can be for apps you may not even have a subscription, too.

It's frustrating to say the least, particularly when the useful row of apps you've installed is just that... a single row. 

Our smart TV ratings also take into account the speed of the menu, how flexible it is in terms of organising your apps, and the app store. Picture quality, sound quality and everyday use ratings, such as the settings menus and remote are the most important factors when determining the score of a TV, and the models we've picked out here excel at those things and also have a solid smart menu despite the issues that are so prevalant across many brands. 

So, with that out of the way, now you have a bit more context about the state of smart menus, these are the best smart TVs

What's the difference between a regular and smart TV?

A smart TV is essentially a TV that can not only receive broadcast channels, but also connect to the internet. This lets you stream live and on-demand programmes via your smart TV's apps.

What does a smart TV do?

The vast majority of modern televisions now have 'smart' capability, with only a handful releasing without access to smart features. You don't need to connect a smart TV to the internet to watch regular television (although some electronic programme guides need to update over the internet) but if you do go online there are various benefits, including:

• Apps Apps on smart TVs either come pre-installed, or are available to download from an app store. Most smart TVs offer TV and film streaming on services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, catch-up TV on apps such as BBC iPlayer, and sometimes social networking on Facebook and Twitter.
• Streaming and casting Smart TVs let you wirelessly stream videos, music and pictures from your phone, tablet or laptop straight to your TV. This is often called casting. You can find out how to set up casting and streaming in our guides to connecting your phone or tablet to your TV and connecting your laptop to your TV. 
• Recommendations Many TVs recommend shows and films for you to watch based on what you've been watching and your favourite genres.
• Smart home control As more devices around the home the TV has become one way of keeping on top of everything. Some smart TVs let you access and control everything on your network, such as washing machines, light bulbs, thermostats and more.
• Adverts The advent of smart TV has brought a scourge along with it. Adverts are prevalant in most smart menus and, along with recommendations, tend to occupy most of the screen.

TVs losing access to catch-up apps many of us use every week can be enormously frustrating. Use our guide on what to do if you've lost access to streaming apps to try and get them back.

Does a smart TV need Wi-Fi?

You’ll need an internet connection to get your smart TV online. Most smart TVs are now wi-fi enabled, meaning you can wirelessly connect them to your internet router and other devices like smartphones. 

You can also connect your TV to your router via an ethernet cable, but if it's not close to your router then you'll need a long cable or a powerline adapter. Not all TVs have an ethernet input.

You'll also need decent broadband speed. This is essential if you want to stream video, and decent speed is preferable. For example, if you want to stream 4K Ultra HD content on Netflix, you'll need at least 25Mbps to get the best experience. 

You can find the fastest broadband for your budget by reading our guide on the best broadband deals. 

Does a Smart TV need a TV licence?

You don't need a licence to watch TV over the internet if it's purely on-demand or via catch-up, though you do need one to watch or download on BBC iPlayer. 

If you use any apps to watch live broadcasts, such as ITVX or sport on Amazon Prime Video then you would need a TV licence.

For more on this, head over to our TV Licence explained guide.

Does a smart TV need an aerial?

You don't need an aerial (or satellite dish) to use a smart TV, but without one you won't be able to watch live, over-the-air broadcasts. Instead, you'll be restricted to use your smart TV's apps to watch live and on-demand content.

Samsung smart TV

Samsung's Tizen smart TV platform has evolved since its launch in 2015 into one of the best around. That said, while the other major TV brands have incorporated services such as Freeview Play (handy smart electronic programme guides with catch-up TV built-in) Samsung hasn't gone with the crowd.

We've found Samsung's smart TV platform to be easy to use, but, as with the majority of smart operating systems, too much of the screen is occupied by adverts and recommendations.

Samsung incorporated its SmartThings software with its TVs, too. This smart home tech gives you control of smart devices, such as light bulbs and thermostats from your TV. Bixby, Samsung's answer to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, is now the default for voice commands on Samsung's TVs. The advanced features Bixby brings, includes searching for movies and TV shows starring specific actors, checking the weather and answering questions.

Find your new Samsung set with our Samsung TV reviews. 

LG smart TV

LG switched from its launcher bar style row of apps, which took up a small part of the screen to a more traditional fullscreen display in 2021. Too much of this display is taken up with ads and recommendations. Some of them are useful, but we also noticed recommendations for shows on apps we didn't have a subscription to.

LG's ThinQ software lets you control other ThinQ-compatible LG appliances from your TV. With the right devices, you could get alerts on your TV when the washing machine had finished its cycle, or when the timer was done on your oven. Voice commands continue to get more advanced: you can search for content with specific actors and directors, and the TV recommends content based on these searches. Only the Magic Remote has the built-in microphone for voice control.

Browse our latest LG TV reviews. 

Sony smart TV

Sony's smart TV platform is powered by Google. It's a clean, simple interface, with a decent amount of customisation to populate the home screen with the channels and apps. 

That said, it still falls into the trap of having too many ads on the home screen. 

Find your perfect Sony set in our Sony TV reviews. 

Panasonic smart TV

Some Panasonic smart TVs use its own My Home Screen software, while other Panasonic TVs use Google TV. My Home Screen is one of the few smart menus not stuffed with ads and trailers. Instead you'll find links to live TV, settings and connected devices.

Panasonic's ranges are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Not all the TVs have remotes with built-in microphones, but those that don't can be controlled via an Amazon Echo or Google Home.

Some Panasonic TVs also use Amazon's Fire OS. We found the system a bit restrictive and favoured ads over user-customisation. We much prefer My Home Screen, but this is now being phased out.

Browse expertly tested models in our Panasonic TV reviews. 

How to make your current TV smart

If you don’t want to splash out on a smart TV, there are more affordable ways to get internet services on your current television. These include:

• TV streamers A wide range of plug-in devices allow you to transform your standard TV into a smart TV at a fraction of the cost. Well-known streaming devices include the Amazon Fire TV stick, Google Chromecast, Apple TV and Apple TV, and all can access video on-demand, catch-up TV and other internet apps when connected to your television and home wi-fi network.
• Computer If you connect your PC to your TV, you can use it as a large computer monitor. For this, you'll need an HDMI input configured for PC screen resolutions (check your TV manual for instructions on this). See our guide on how to connect a PC or MacBook to your TV for more information.
• Casting You can display your phone screen on your TV screen through casting. This can be simply mirroring the screen or displaying the contents of an app, such as Netflix or YouTube. Your TV will need to an internet connection to do this. Methods differ depending on the phone you have, so check our guide on how to connect an iPhone or Android phone to your TV to learn how.

Need help getting other devices connected? Use our free tool for advice on hooking up audio and video devices to TVs.

How we test smart TVs

The app store is our first port of call when testing the smart capabilities of a TV. We're looking for a good range of apps, intuitively laid out with a good search function. Speed is important, since these menus can be slow, which makes adding new apps to your TV a laborious exercise.

We look to see how easy it is to arrange the apps you've downloaded. Ideally it should be simple to add favourites to your smart home screen for easier access later. We also determine if preinstalled apps can be deleted to free up space on your TV hard drive.

Find out more about how we test TVs. 

TV internet security

With any internet-connected device, security is paramount, so we look at what data your TV collects and where it goes. 

Data transparency

The information your TV collects ranges from the mundane, such as what you've been watching (which is still personal and private), to more important things like your wi-fi password and app logins. If we think it's collecting more data than it needs to, not sending it to secure places (also known as safe harbours), or being upfront about what data it's collecting, we'll flag that in our reviews.

Data collection settings need to be opted into during setup, so we look at whether brands are influencing users to opting in by employing tricks such as defaulting the cursor to the 'accept all' button rather than asking users to opt into each option separately.

We like to see easy-to-understand options rather than complicated legal jargon, and we'll flag if the terms and conditions are needlessly complex.

Data encryption

We check to see if the data is encrypted when it's sent. This means the data can't be read if it's intercepted on its journey from your TV to the data centre.

Data settings for users

The final thing we check is how easy it is to access the data collection settings, which can be buried in the deep recesses of TV menus. We always check how many options are available to you in terms of disabling data collection and tracking, as well as noting what terms and conditions you need to agree to when you set the TV up, and how this affects the data the TV collects.

Thankfully we haven't come across any TVs that are playing fast and loose with your data, but we will continue to check each and every one that passes through our labs so you can buy with the confidence that any information it collects is safe.

Smart TV tracking

Makers of smart TVs are able to track and monitor the way you use your TV like never before, including what you watch, what buttons you press on the remote and the websites you visit on your TV's browser.

This can have benefits, such as more personalised recommendations of things to watch, but there are also potential downsides. In theory, the TV brands can gather vast quantities of data on you and, in some cases, use that information to make money through posting targeted adverts on your TV.

You give permission for this to happen by agreeing to your TV's T&Cs. You can decline them and still watch TV. In many cases, however, that results in you losing access to some smart functionality of the TV.

We're calling on TV manufacturers to be more upfront about what they're tracking, and why, plus give you clearer options to opt out if you want to. Here's a brand-by-brand breakdown of how to turn any tracking off, and what you lose if you do:

• Samsung Samsung tracks you if you agree to its T&Cs. If you decline, you can’t access the smart TV service. If you do agree you can still adjust the tracking settings in the 'Terms & Privacy' menu in the settings.
• LG LG's T&Cs permit it to track you, and to adjust the settings later you need to head to the 'Privacy & Terms' menu and scroll down.
• Panasonic If you don’t accept Panasonic's T&Cs, you lose access to all apps, the web browser and content recommendations. If you accept them, you can turn off tracking of your viewing habits via ‘Menu > Network > My Home Cloud settings > Notice > Stop collecting information’.
• Sony Sony uses Google for its smart TV system and it tracks you like the rest of the brands. You can opt out of tracking by ticking in the 'Privacy' menu in the settings.

Smart TV security

When connecting any device to the internet, including a television, it vital to protect yourself from the more negative aspects of the online world, including hackers and malicious threats. Here's some steps to make your TV more secure while going online.

• Disable cookies You can usually disable cookies, including third-party cookies, in your TV’s web browser settings, and can often enable a ‘private browsing’ feature. This will stop some of the web tracking, but bear in mind that it may also restrict your browsing experience on some websites (eg it won’t remember your preferences).
• Secure your network Make sure you properly secure your home wi-fi network to reduce the threat posed by hackers. Look for the wireless or ‘WLAN’ settings on your router and set them to the latest WPA2 standard, which is the most secure option on most devices. Ensure that your router’s firewall is enabled, as this will help protect you from outright threats and security vulnerabilities.
• Set strong passwords Use a strong password for your home wireless router, and do the same for any internet accounts you may use on your smart TV. Strong passwords typically use upper and lower case letters, numbers and ‘special’ characters such as !, ?, % and &.