Confused by TV model names? Here's how to decode them
In a few hundred thousand years some archaeologists will unearth an ancient shop, buried deep underground, known mysteriously as 'Currys'. Inside they'll find rows of ancient artefacts: dead-black windows with antiquated cords for power.
Our distant descendants will pour over their cryptic names like it's a new Rosetta Stone: 'What do these symbols mean? And why in this order?' It's a question we already ask, and we're the TV experts. Take the LG OLED55C44LA and the LG OLED55C46LA – what's the difference there?
At a glance their names are almost identical. Both are made by LG (that's the easy bit), but there's plenty more the name call tell you – from the year it was released, to its size, spec and beyond.
It’s even more important to understand TV naming conventions as we approach Black Friday: you don’t want to end up spending money on what appeared to be a great deal for the latest TV, only to discover you’ve ended up with last year’s model. Keep reading and you'll be a code-breaking TV-buyer in no time.
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How to decipher the big brands' TV model names
With the leading brands releasing close to 200 TVs every year, there are plenty of confusing model names flying about. But they aren't difficult to figure out once you know what the letters and numbers mean.
Your newfound knowledge will really come into its own when you start to compare multiple models from the same manufacturer. You'll be able to spot what sets two TVs apart and where they sit in the manufacturer's line-up. What's more, since brands have fixed conventions and rarely deviate from them, these tips will be relevant for years to come.
LG TV model names explained
LG's TV naming conventions differ slightly depending what sort of screen you're buying: LCD, NanoCell or OLED.
LG's LCD model names
For an LCD TV from LG, the first number is the screen size. That's then followed by letters, which relate to the year. For 2024 that's 'T'.
Next you have a series of numbers that denote what range the TV belongs to. Usually, the lower the number the more basic the TV. You won't necessarily know if this number is high or low on its own, but you'll be able to quickly compare it alongside other similar LG TVs.
Finally, there's a string of letters and numbers, which relate to a variant (such as a retailer-specific model or a different colour option). There's no real logic to this section, but if you see two TVs where everything else is the same other than these final letters and numbers, it's likely the same TV with some design differences.
So, if we look at the LG 43UT80006LA, we know it's a 43-inch LCD TV from 2024. And when we compare it to similar models from LG's line-up, the '8000' tells us it's one of LG's lower spec TVs.
LG's NanoCell model names
LG's mid-range sets have NanoCell displays. They're easy to tell apart from LCD and OLED LGs because they helpfully have 'NANO' in the name; otherwise, they are pretty much the same. The first number is still the screen size, then you have a number denoting its position in the grand scheme of NanoCell TVs released that year, and finally there's a pair of letters for the release year.
Let's look at the LG 50NANO81T6A. We know it's a 55-inch NanoCell TV that's from 2024 (that's the 'TA' bit: one of the letters is different, but the 'T' is the same as we saw in the LCD model). When comparing it alongside other LG NanoCell TVs, the '816' tells us it's a mid-range NanoCell model.
LG's OLED model names
LG's most high-end TVs have OLED displays and, aside from a few differences, they mirror its NanoCell range in terms of naming convention.
They have 'OLED' in the name rather than 'NANO', and instead of using letters to signify the year they use numbers. So a 2024 TV has a '4', such as the LG OLED55C46LA.
The letter in the OLED name tells you how high-end it is, with letters later in the alphabet denoting a higher spec: the C4 is more high-end than the A4, for example.
Panasonic model names explained
Panasonic makes LCD and OLED TVs, but there isn't as much deviation in naming as you find with LG.
It changed the ways its names work in 2024, so they look a little different from last year. The model names now start with 'TB' or 'TV' rather than 'TX' then there's a letter after the screen name that shows what the resolution is.
- N – a 2024 HD Ready TV
- S – for a 2024 Full HD TV
- W – a 2024 4K LCD TV
- Z – a 2024 4K OLED TV
As far as we can tell, if the TV starts with 'TB' then it's using a TiVo operating system. Most of Panasonic's 2024 lineup start with 'TV' and use Amazon's Fire TV operating system
Finally, you have a number. The bigger the number, the more high-end the TV. With Panasonic TVs, this number comes after the letter showing the resolution, so the Panasonic TB-50W60AEY is a mid-range 4K LCD TV, while the Panasonic TV-65Z90AEB is a high-end OLED TV.
The three letter at the end are a country and retailer code and can differ slightly depending which country you're buying the TV from and which shop.
The only indication of what year the TV was released is currently in those first two letters. If it says 'TX' you know it's a 2023 release and 'TB' or 'TV' means it came out in 2024, but we're not sure if that will change in 2025.
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Samsung model names explained
Samsung has four different display types: LCD, QLED, Neo QLED and OLED (bit excessive, but there you go).
The names all start with two letters, which give you an idea of what the display type is, followed by the screen size and then a letter and number that confirms the display type and position in the line-up. The final letter denotes the year it was released.
There are differences though, which we'll explain by breaking down each screen type for you.
- LCD– Samsung UE65DU8000: the 'U' means it's an LCD TV, the 65 is the screen size. D is for 2024 (in 2023 it was C). The 8000 is at the lower end of Samsung's LCD ranges, so we know it's likely to be one of the cheaper models.
- QLED – Samsung QE65Q80D: it's a QLED of some sort as it starts with 'QE'. Then we know it's a 65-inch set. The Q80D confirms it's a QLED (not Neo QLED) and the '80' is a higher number, so it's a mid-range QLED model. Finally we have the 'D' so it's a 2024 TV.
- Neo QLED– Samsung QE65QN95D: It's the same as a standard QLED, but the 'QN' in the middle tells you it's a Neo QLED.
- OLED – perhaps the weirdest of all is the OLED. It's the same a QLED, but rather than 'Q' or QN' you just get an 'S'. Samsung likely chose not to use 'O' for 'OLED' because it's too similar looking to zero, which can cause confusion.
Samsung TVs are sometimes listed with a series of letters and numbers at the end of their name. These denote retailer and design, but won't make a difference to the workings of the TV, so if the rest of the name is the same then it's the same TV.
Sony model names explained
Sony has LCD and OLED models, and the naming convention is similar for both.
First you get the screen size (ignore the 'K' at the start since this is standard on all Sony TVs from 2024 onwards). Next is two letters associated with the processor powering the TV. 'XR' means the TV has Sony's high-end XR processor and 'X' ones don't.
After that Sony TVs have 'PU' and this is the same if they are backlit LCD TVs or OLED ones, so you can't glean as much info from a Sony model name.
It wasn't always like this. Older Sony's had an 'A' in the name for an OLED TV and 'X' for an LCD TV. A lot of Sony's 2023 ranges are still available in 2024, so look out for these letters.
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Fixed rules on TV names
There are other brands that do things slightly differently, but there are some consistent rules to help you.
- The first number is always the screen size.
- Brands use the alphabet or numbers to denote a year of release, so a model with 'J' in the name released before one with 'K' The only exception is when the letters reset, like when Samsung went back to 'A' four years ago.
- Some letters are skipped to avoid confusion, so you won't see an 'I' or 'O' denoting a year of release, since they can be mixed up with one and zero.
- TVs rarely stay on sale beyond 20 months, so you won't need to decipher a model from half a decade ago when you're shopping.
All our TV reviews tell you what year a model was released, so you can easily keep track and make sure you're looking at a TV from this year or earlier.
How to make sure you're buying the right TV
All our TV reviews have buying links that take you directly to the page for that specific TV on the retailer sites. However, if you've seen a deal on a different site (or just want to double-check), there's an easy way to make sure you're buying the right TV.
- Highlight the TV model name from our review or advice guide.
- Press 'Crtl+C' to copy it (on mobile devices, tap and hold the name, then select copy).
- Go to the retailer website and press 'Crtl+F' to open the search window (on mobiles, tap the three-dot menu and select 'Find in Page', or similar).
- Hit 'Ctrl+P' to paste the TV name into the search field (on mobiles, tap and hold the search field, then select Paste).
- If the TV you want is on the page, it will be highlighted and you'll be brought to that point on the webpage automatically (you may need to open the tech spec section on the website to reveal the full model name).
Note that some retailers have specific variants with names that almost exactly match the name you've copied from our website, just with a few extra letters on the end. In most cases, this is still the same TV, but may be a different colour or have a different stand. We recommend contacting the retailer to confirm.
So why are TV model names so complex?
Once you know what everything means, they really aren't that complicated. It's easy for us to see of course, as we've been reviewing TVs for years. But everything in the name has a purpose and now you know what the purpose is.
With manufacturers releasing so many TVs every year, it wouldn't be feasible for them to come up with memorable names for each model. It's also useful to have key information available in the model name – after all, Samsung could call it's next QLED 'Clive', but it wouldn't tell you anything about the TV or how it sits in Samsung's overall line-up.
