If you're looking to save as much as possible — say, to get the largest TV for your budget — it's a good idea to buy last year's television instead of the latest one. Because TV upgrades, barring the arrival of a new display technology, are mostly incremental. So you aren't missing much with an older model. Since TV makers typically roll out their refreshed TVs in April and May (case in point: Sony Singapore recently announced their 2023 lineup), there's no better time to shop for last year's TV than the March/April period. You may be able to find bigger discounts, and drive a harder bargain at retail stores.
Here then are five 2022 TVs that you should consider if you're shopping for one now. But don't take too long, because some of these models are going to disappear from stores soon — if they aren't already. Finally, if you are unsure about picking the ideal TV for your home, here's our guide on how to buy a TV.
Hisense U8H Mini-LED Pro Smart TV
A good mini-LED TV like the Hisense U8H offer a nice compromise for those who want a higher peak brightness than most OLED TVs, and still have deeper blacks than backlit QLED TVs. The U8H also surprised me with its price-to-performance ratio. Its picture quality, especially in Filmmaker Mode, was better than expected, and will give more expensive mini-LED TVs a run for their money. It's also suitable for console gaming, thanks to its two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K at 120Hz.
LG C2 OLED evo 4K TV
If you have more than one of the latest game consoles, such as an Xbox Series X|S and a Sony PlayStation 5, I would wholeheartedly recommend an LG OLED TV like the LG C2. Because LG is one of the few manufacturers (Samsung is another) to offer four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K 120Hz on its premium TVs. So you can connect both game consoles, and a soundbar (via eARC) without compromise. It also helps that the C2 is very competitively priced for a top-tier OLED, and comes in smaller screen sizes (42″ and 48″) for those who thinking of using it in their gaming den.
Prism+ Q65 Ultra
Technically, the Prism+ Q65 Ultra is part of the local brand's 2023 TV lineup. But it did come out last December, and more importantly, the Ultra offers some much-needed upgrades. Firstly, it gets the latest Google TV platform, a new remote control, and for movie lovers, a Filmmaker Mode that lets users easily switch to realistic-looking visuals with a single button press. Of course, the Ultra is still a QLED TV, which means its picture quality will likely lose to the other TVs in this roundup. But the Prism+ is also the most affordable.
Samsung S95B OLED TV
The Samsung S95B is the first TV to use Samsung Display's new QD-OLED technology, which promises richer and brighter pictures than existing OLED TVs. It certainly lived up to the hype, though this being Samsung's first OLED TV in forever, there are concerns about burn-in, especially given the S95B's relatively high peak brightness. My biggest beef, though, is the revamped Tizen OS, which seems clumsy to me. And while it does have four 4K 120Hz HDMI 2.1 ports, the S95B lacks Dolby Vision for games, making it slightly less desirable than LG OLEDs.
Sony Bravia XR A90K
Sony is the current champ when it comes to TV picture quality. Yes, many viewers will find the differences marginal. Perhaps Sony's impeccable image processing is not worth the premium. But the Sony A90K produced the best pictures among the TVs I tested last year. The caveat being that I didn't test Sony's flagship QD-OLED TV (A95K), as it wasn't available in Singapore. However, the downside of the A90K is that Sony only sells the 42″ and 48″ screen sizes. So if you want a larger TV from Sony, you'll have to get the step-down model (A80K) instead.
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