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In This Guide: Sony A80K OLED 65-Inch TV | SAMSUNG 65-Inch TV | Hisense ULED Premium 65-Inch TV | Sony X90K 65-Inch TV | TCL UHD 65-Inch TV | Buyer’s Guide | Advantages of Owning a Smart TV | FAQs
Most of the TVs you’ll find in homes are between 32 and 85 inches in size, with 65-inch TVs being a happy medium. Like with other electronic devices, the product descriptions for 65-inch TVs use confusing terms, such as 4K, LCD, UHD, HDR, HLG, OLED, and Neo QLED. To help you make sense of these terms and pick the best 65-inch TV for your home, the This Old House Reviews Team has done the research for you. Keep reading for our exhaustive guide.
Compare 65-Inch TVs
| Product | Display Technology | Refresh Rate | HDMI Ports | Weight | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony A80K OLED 65-Inch TV | OLED | 120 Hz | 4 | 54.2 pounds | 57 x 13 x 34 inches |
| SAMSUNG 65-Inch TV | Crystal UHD | 60 Hz | 3 | 46.1 pounds | 11 x 57 x 34 inches |
| Hisense ULED Premium 65-Inch TV | QLED | 60 Hz | 4 | 64.7 pounds | 57 x 3 x 33 inches |
| Sony X90K 65-Inch TV | Full-Array LED | 120 Hz | 4 | 52.9 pounds | 57 x 13 x 34 inches |
| TCL UHD 65-Inch TV | Mini QLED | 120 Hz | 4 | 75.4 pounds | 57 x 14 x 36 inches |
| Product | Display Technology | Refresh Rate | HDMI Ports | Weight | Dimensions |
Best Smart Technology: Sony A80K OLED 65-Inch TV
Sony A80K OLED 65-Inch TV
- $1698
- $2299.99
- 27% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Has an input lag that’s as low as 8.5 milliseconds
✔ Uses Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for enhanced audio quality
✔ Includes BRAVIA CORE credits to watch over 100 of the latest movies
✘ Has a high price tag
✘ Offers some gaming features that aren’t compatible with Xbox nor Nintendo
What Customers Are Saying
The majority of customers who reviewed this TV left positive reviews based on its superb image quality and built-in audio. Gamers with PlayStation 5s also appreciated the enhanced motion tracking and reduced input lag for their console. Conversely, some users complained about the software frequently crashing. One user also wished that the TV supported Apple TV for streaming and screen mirroring.
Best Entry-Level: SAMSUNG 65-Inch TV
SAMSUNG 65-Inch TV
- $645
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Has multiple voice assistants, including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and SAMSUNG Bixby
✔ Built with a thin AirSlim profile
✔ Fits within nearly any budget
✘ Has a fairly slow 60-hertz (Hz) refresh rate
✘ Has customer complaints about the screen bleeding light
What Customers Are Saying
Satisfied customers praised the picture quality of this SAMSUNG TV, stating that the display was clear and bright. They also appreciated that the frame was sleek and thin, sitting nearly flush with the wall on a wall mount. On the other hand, a few users complained about the limited number of ports on the side of the TV, as there were inputs but no outputs.
Best Picture Quality: Hisense ULED Premium 65-Inch TV
Hisense ULED Premium 65-Inch TV
- $598
- $799.99
- 26% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Costs less than many 65-inch TVs
✔ Uses quantum dot technology to produce rich, deep colors
✔ Includes a 100-day guarantee upon registration
✘ Doesn’t work with other voice assistants besides Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
✘ May take a long time to find the display settings you want
What Customers Are Saying
Overall, reviews for this 65-inch TV were positive, with many users saying that it offered decent picture quality and enough built-in features given the price. Negative feedback included premature dead pixels and poor customer support.
Best For Gaming: Sony X90K 65-Inch TV
Sony X90K 65-Inch TV
- $998
- $1198
- 17% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Uses full-array LED lighting for deep tones and maximum brightness
✔ Features HDMI 2.1 inputs to support high-performance gaming consoles
✔ Has a 120-Hz refresh rate for a constantly clear image
✘ Doesn’t offer wide-angle OLED viewing
✘ Some users mention the screen randomly rebooting during use
What Customers Are Saying
Amazon customers who bought this 65-inch TV said that its image quality exceeded their expectations. They also thought that the sound came out clear and crisp as they watched TV shows and movies and played video games. Negatively, a few users complained about the remote control, wishing it had a numerical pad and a rewind button.
Best For Streaming: TCL UHD 65-Inch TV
TCL UHD 65-Inch TV
- $949.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Uses a built-in game mode to prevent image smearing
✔ Uses 240 individual zones to control and optimize the screen’s contrast
✔ Includes one Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) input to easily sync audio and video sources
✘ Weighs 75 pounds
✘ Has low legs so that a soundbar can’t fit between the screen and entertainment center
What Customers Are Saying
Most users were satisfied with the image quality, motion tracking, and refreshing of this 65-inch TV even though it wasn’t a high-end 4K TV. While some buyers said that the built-in Roku system was simple to navigate, others said that it was glitchy. Other dissatisfied customers reported challenges getting a separate audio system to work with it.
Buying Guide for 65-Inch TVs
Choosing the right television for your living room or home theater isn’t just about screen size. You’ll also want to consider picture quality, streaming capabilities, and more. Keep reading to learn about these factors.
Resolution
TV resolution refers to the number of pixels on the screen that come together to form the picture. TV manufacturers usually provide you with this measurement as width by height, but you’ll also see it described in words such as Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), and Ultra High Definition (UHD).
Here are the terms that manufacturers use, ranked from the least pixels to the most pixels:
- SD
- HD
- HD Ready
- Full HD
- 4K
- UHD
- 8K
Because SD doesn’t provide a clear picture and 8K is new and difficult to find, we recommend sticking to the options that are in between those two resolutions.
Smart Technology
With a smart TV, you can watch what you want without connecting external devices. For example, some televisions have built-in Android TV, Google TV, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or Roku TV. That way, your TV acts as a two-in-one device for simplicity and money savings.
Remote Control
As televisions become more high-tech, their remote controls get simpler. Many remotes only have a handful of buttons, such as home, play, pause, left, right, up, and down. If you choose a smart TV, the included remote might also have shortcut buttons to popular streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu.
Connections
With ports, you can plug in external devices, such as a DVD player and gaming system. Each TV model varies in terms of the number and type of ports it has. For example, some TVs only have a couple of HDMI ports, while others have a couple of HDMI ports along with USB and Ethernet connections.
Refresh Rate
Using hertz (Hz), refresh rate measures the number of times per second the image refreshes, determining how lifelike it is. Televisions range from about 60 Hz to 240 Hz. We recommend staying away from TVs that have a lower refresh rate if you plan on playing games, watching sports, or doing anything else that has a lot of action.
Advantages of Owning a Smart TV
If you’re purchasing a 65-inch TV, nowadays, it is almost certain that it will have smart capabilities. But if you’re new to owning a smart TV, you may not know how to take full advantage of all of the features that come with it. Here are some of the benefits to owning a smart TV over a standard TV.
Apps
While non-smart TVs require an external device, such as a Roku TV or Google Chromecast, smart TVs already have one built into their interface. This means that you can access your favorite apps right from the home screen of your TV—no more devices or cords behind your TV stand.
Voice Control
With smart TVs, the days of searching through the guide or typing in the channel number are gone. Instead, you can hold down a button and speak directly into your remote to access an app, show, movie, or input.
Additional Features
TVs in the modern age can do much more than play movies and shows. Many smart TVs use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology to browse the web, store images and videos, make video and phone calls, and play music. With the right smart TV, you may not need any other home entertainment device.
Frequently Asked Questions About 65-Inch TVs
What is a good size TV for a living room?
The right TV size depends on the living room, as this affects the viewing distance and viewing angle. However, for many homeowners, 55-65 inches is plenty big for an optimal viewing experience.
How much should I pay for a 65-inch TV?
As next-gen TVs are more affordable than ever, you should be able to find a 65-inch model that suits your needs for $1,000 or less. You may pay a little more than this for a premium QLED or OLED TV.
What are the best TV brands?
As you can probably guess, SAMSUNG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL are among our favorite TV brands. However, we also like LG and Vizio.
What are the dimensions of a 65-inch TV?
Since TV screens get measured diagonally from one corner to the other, a 65-inch TV isn’t actually 65 inches across. It’s usually approximately 57 inches long and 34 inches high.
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