TECH

TV Buying Guide 2026: Everything You Need to Know

Compiled by Dennis Cavernelis

Ready to upgrade your TV but feeling lost in a sea of technical jargon and endless options? You’re not alone. With screens ranging from affordable to extremely expensive, and enough acronyms to make your head spin, choosing the right TV can feel like mission impossible. But whether you’re a serious gamer, a sports fanatic, a movie buff, or just want something decent for the family room, ALL THAT has got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to find your perfect match – without the sales pitch.

Shopping for a new TV can be a bit overwhelming – there’s a barrage of jargon – 4K, 8K, HD, UHD, HDR, SDR, OLED, LED, QLED, NeoQLED – and, if you’re in a showroom, they often look very similar to each other, with a few exceptions.

So where to begin?

There are three main considerations to keep in mind for your new TV:

How far will you be seated from it – this determines the ideal size of the TV.
How brightly lit is the room which it’ll be in – some TVs can automatically adjust their settings to give the best image.
What will you be using it for – movies, TV, sport, gaming, or all of these.

Size matters

Most modern TVs over 42 inches are 4K or Ultra HD (UHD). The size of the TV screen is measured by the diagonal length of the screen – a 42-inch screen equals 107cm. The ideal viewing distance is the 1 to 1,5 times the size of the screen for 4K, and 1.5 to 2.5 times for 1080p or HD. An HD TV requires slightly more distance from the screen to avoid seeing pixels, and 4K allows closer seating because of its higher resolution. However, if you’re buying a 100-inch TV that’s placed two metres from your sofa, it’ll look fantastic, but you’ll be too close to see the entire screen.

IDEAL SEATING DISTANCE FOR 4K TV, BY SCREEN SIZE

50-55-inch TV: 1.8 to 2.4m from the screen
60-65-inch TV: 2.4 to 3m from the screen
70-80-inch TV: 3m to 4m from the screen
85-100-inch TV: Anything greater than 4m

THE JARGON

LED (or QLED, Mini-LED, etc) vs OLED:

These are the types of tiny lights which create an image on the TV screen. OLED, which stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, is the high-end option for hardcore cinephiles and gamers as it provides perfect blacks, infinite contrast and faster response times.

LED screens use backlighting to make them brighter, more durable against burn-in (“ghost images which remain on the screen) and are usually less expensive. These are more widely available and generally better suited for brightly lit spaces.

4K vs 8K

Most new TVs come in 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD). This refers to the number of pixels on the screen, and on a properly set-up TV, it looks fantastically life-like.

8K is the next step up, and as impressive as it sounds, and looks on demo models, the only hitch is that there’s a minuscule amount of 8K content to watch – none of the streamers or broadcasters are streaming at that resolution, and there’s no physical media available at that resolution either. 8K TVs will upscale whatever’s on the screen to look its best, but it won’t be 8K; at best it’ll be 4K.

Streaming services including Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Prime Video, and Google TV offer 4K content – if you subscribe to their premium tiers, but you’ll need high-speed internet – 50 to 100mbps – for it to run smoothly.

These, and other streamers, also have content in HD – it’s perfectly watchable but not the best possible experience.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE

Best for… SIZE

Hisense 116UX | RGB-MiniLED 4K VIDAA Smart TV

At 2.94m, this is the biggest TV available in South Africa in 2026, although other manufacturers are not far behind with 115-inch and 110-inch models.

For the price of a mid-level car, you get a near-unparalleled viewing experience, including CineStage X-Surround 6.2.2 speakers which promise a cinema-like audio experience with multi-directional sound.

It’s also IMAX Enhanced, which means it’s certified to meet the highest standards for picture and sound quality, and will reproduce movies just as the filmmakers intended. Check out Disney+ for superhero and sci-fi movies that have screen-filling IMAX sequences.

The Dynamic X Display brings lifelike visuals and Game Mode Ultra is designed for serious gamers, providing the best possible performance and an immersive gaming experience.

For R100 000 less, Hisense also has the 110-inch (2.8m) Hisense-110XUX with similar, but ever-so-slightly less impressive features.

R300 000, 116”, www.hisense.co.za

Best for… MOVIES

LG OLED evo AI C5 4K 144Hz Smart TV

This model comes in a range of sizes from 55” (1.4m) to 83” (2.1m). Its OLED technology boasts more than 8.3 million self-lit smart pixels, creating perfectly inky blacks and luminous colours, no matter if the room is bright or dimly lit.

It features Dolby Vision, an advanced video technology that enhances picture quality by using dynamic metadata to adjust brightness, colour, and contrast on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis, creating the best possible version of what you’re watching.

Its filmmaker mode can further tweak its settings, allowing you to see films just as their directors intended.

R100 000, 83”, www.lg.com/za

Best for… GAMING

Samsung S90F 4K OLED Vision AI TV

Available in sizes from a modest 48” all the way to 83”, this TV is powered by 128 AI neural networks to enhance picture and sound. The processor analyses scenes individually and boosts the image for improved brightness – resulting in an incredibly bright screen with a deeper range of contrast, which makes even the tiniest details stand out. It’s superb for fast-moving games, as the input latency – the delay between performing an action like pressing a button – and seeing that action on the screen is a minuscule 9.1 milliseconds. For a premium gaming performance, it has the Motion Xcelerator which ensures high-speed, 4K motion and smooth gameplay.

R60 000, 77″, www.samsung.com/za

Best for… SPORT

TCL C8K Series Mini LED QLED

This TV comes very close to OLED with its incandescent colours and nearly perfect blacks. It’s great for sport as it has high brightness for daytime viewing and an ultra-high refresh rate to keep up with the action. It also shines in the sound department, thanks to its Bang & Olufsen sound system that will take you into the thick of the action. Available in sizes from 65” to 98”.

R26 000, 75”, www.tcl.com/southafrica

Best for… Standing out

Samsung’s The Frame

When they’re switched off, most TV sets look the same, but not this one, which, as its name suggests, is contained in a picture frame. Its features are like other high-end Samsung TVs, but this one comes loaded with thousands of works of art which can be displayed on screen when it’s not being used as a, well, TV. The Frame has a matte display, so the picture looks clear even in bright light, and it’s certified by Pantone for faithful colour reproduction and presenting images as the artists intended.

R20 000, 65”, www.samsung.com/za

Best for… A Budget

Skyworth 65″ Q6600H 4K QLED

Available in screen sizes ranging from 55” to 85” this beauty is also a bargain. It may not have quite as many bells and whistles as pricier sets, but it provides a gorgeous image, and its High-Speed Refresh (HSR) technology makes every frame crisp, and lag-free.

If binge-watching is your preference, or long gaming sessions, this TV has the helpful Eye Care 5.0 system which reduces harmful blue light and screen flicker, allowing longer viewing times without the discomfort, without affecting the image quality.