Samsung vs LG TVs: which is best?

Every year these two TV brands doggedly battle it out to earn your custom. Whether you’re looking to spend a few hundred pounds or even a few thousand, both Samsung and LG promise the best-quality TVs.

TVs from Samsung and LG come packed with the latest technology, with their competing OLED and QLED displays, and features such as Freeview Play, 4K Ultra HD, support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), slick smart-TV systems, voice search and more. 

Regardless of your budget, both of these top-tier brands have a range of attractively designed, full-featured TVs ready to impress, so which is better? Read the sections in this guide to see how the two compare in our tests and see our favourite models

Best TVs - see the Best Buys TVs that aced our lab tests

Samsung vs LG TVs: average test scores

When it comes to 4K TVs, the two brands aren't far from each other when it comes to quality. But while one is steadily getting better, it's very much a case of peaks and valleys for the other.

Which? members can see which brand has outperformed the other consistently when it comes to 4K TVs, and Full HD and HD-ready TVs.

Since we regularly update our test programme and the way we evaluate products, only TVs released in the same year are directly comparable and so are the averages.

Best Samsung and LG TVs for less

For all the talk of top-end TVs, there’s plenty of quality on offer in this lower price bracket. These Samsung and LG sets are still 4K, support HDR and are smart.

Mid-range and low-cost TVs may not always offer the keener motion processing and high-end extras, such as advanced HDR formats and gaming features, found on pricier models. But our testing doesn’t factor in price, so whatever your budget you can still find a quality set. Here we've picked out the models that did best in our tests. 

Find more cheap TVs with our best TV deals, which we update every month.

Top Samsung and LG TVs for under £500

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table. If you’re not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which?.

View all our Samsung TV reviews and LG TV reviews.

Best high-end Samsung and LG TVs

In this price range, you’re looking at some of the best these brands have to offer and the best TVs money can buy. These Samsung and LG sets feature in their top-tier ranges, matching impressive specs in terms of picture and sound quality, with sleek design and bonuses and a wealth of extra features.

But that doesn’t mean these TVs are guaranteed Best Buys. Over all our years of testing, we’ve seen many TVs in this price bracket - some even costing £3,000 or more - fall short of the Best Buy mark. 

Top high-end Samsung and LG TVs

Our best cheap TVs under £300, £500 and £1,000 has plenty of excellent 4K models to suit you.

Samsung vs LG TVs: Best Buy frequency

Average score doesn't necessarily correlate with the number of Best Buys. If one manufacturer has a much bigger range than the other then the possible range of scores grows. The manufacturer with the bigger range has more opportunities to get a coveted Best Buy. We haven't tested all of LG and Samsung's 2023 TVs yet, but we'll update this table when we do.

Which? members can see which brand has the highest proportion of TVs we recommend you buy. 

Figures correct at October 2023. Lines show the percentage of the total number of TVs tested that were Best Buys.

How to get the best deal on your TV

New TVs are usually very expensive at launch. Our recent analysis of TV pricing has shown how much you can save by simply waiting until later in the year.

We've found that prices on new TVs usually drop after one or two months of being on sale. They tend to reach their cheapest price after around eight months on sale. 

TVs usually get heavy discounts on Black Friday, during the Christmas period and into the January sales. Check our pick of the best TV deals for the latest offers.