There are less than two weeks before the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar. Over 5 billion people are expected to tune in, which would make it the most-watched in the tournament’s history. If you're a big football fan — who have possibly forked out a sizeable sum (S$118 in Singapore, for example) to watch the World Cup — you'll definitely want the best viewing experience possible. And seeing as it only comes along once every four years, it's a good reason to upgrade your TV.
Besides getting the biggest TV you can afford, you'll want something with a high refresh rate (120Hz is ideal), good screen uniformity (no splotchy patches), and wide viewing angles (watching with friends) for watching sports. The World Cup games are played at night for Singapore viewers, so you don't have to worry about ambient light, or reflections (just turn off the lights). Given these conditions, OLED TVs make the most sense, though a couple of affordable, non-OLED options are included, too. Here are five TVs to buy for watching sports.
Hisense U8H Mini-LED Pro Smart TV
From the official TV maker of Qatar 2022 comes the Hisense U8H Mini-LED Pro Smart TV. The U8H is a great, affordable alternative to an OLED TV. Its picture quality is excellent, with blacks that are almost as dark as the ones on an OLED TV. Screen uniformity is good, and there's minimal blooming when viewed straight-on. If you don't have a soundbar, the U8H's audio is also pretty good for a TV.
Samsung S95B OLED TV
Samsung's first OLED TV is simply spectacular. Its rich colours and peak brightness rival, and sometimes edge out the best OLED TVs now. Meanwhile, the TV itself is sleek, thin, and will look good in any living room. Some minor downsides: It tops out at a maximum size of 65 inches, and the revamped Tizen OS is finicky, and takes a while to get used to.
LG C2 OLED evo 4K TV
The LG C2 is the mid-range OLED TV in the South Korean firm's lineup. This year sees a new 42-inch model, but if you're getting the C2 for the World Cup, you'll want something much bigger. Which makes C2 a great choice since it comes in 77-inch and 83-inch sizes, too. Picture quality is excellent, of course. It's not quite as good as a similar Sony OLED TV, but we're nitpicking here. The user interface is also more responsive compared to its predecessor.
Prism+ 65AL OLED TV
Shopping an OLED TV on a budget? Well, the Prism+ 65AL OLED TV is competitively priced. But there are some caveats, such as its 60Hz refresh rate. Prism+ uses OLED panels from LG, so the picture quality is still good, though the more established TV makers have better, more refined image processing. If you only rely on online shopping, the Prism+ 65AL may be a good choice. Else, you can probably get similar prices for other OLED TVs at retail stores with some good haggling.
Xiaomi TV A2
The cheapest TV in this roundup at around S$799, the Xiaomi TV A2 is a budget model with decent picture quality, but lacks brightness for HDR content. You may also need to tweak the picture settings for football games — the default settings are too vivid. Its 60Hz refresh rate isn't great for sports, but the TV doesn't exhibit much banding or dirty screen effect, and blooming is kept in check. Its Android TV interface should also be familiar to most users, and has all the streaming apps for the World Cup (MeWatch, Singtel Cast, and StarHub TV+).
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