Buying guide
2026 vs 2025 TVs: Should You Upgrade or Buy Last Year's Model?
Are 2026 TVs like the LG C6, Samsung S90H, and TCL QM8L worth paying more for than discounted 2025 models? What actually changed this year, and when last year's TV is the smarter buy.
Every spring brings a new model year, and every fall the outgoing models get their deepest discounts. If you're shopping in late 2026, that creates a real dilemma: pay more for this year's set, or grab last year's at clearance pricing while it lasts?
Our short answer: most 2026 upgrades are incremental, so a well-discounted 2025 model is often the smarter buy — with a few exceptions. This guide is an editorial synthesis of public reviews and manufacturer specs, not our own lab testing, and any prices are rough estimates from our October 5, 2026 research.
The short list
| # | Best for | TV | Est. price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Best 2026 upgrade |  | OLED | ~$1,500 |
| 02 | Best 2025 model still worth buying |  | Mini-LED QLED | ~$1,000 |
| 03 | Best 2025 OLED for movies |  | QD-OLED | ~$2,500 |
Prices are rough street-price estimates, not live quotes.
Ranked
Our picks
- 01
Best 2026 upgrade
LG C6 OLED
- OLED
- 2026
- 42–83"
- ~$1,500
At around $1,500 for 65 inches, the C6 has already fallen far below its launch MSRP — close enough to clearance-priced 2025 OLEDs that buying new makes sense.
Highlights
- Highlight: Per-pixel OLED contrast with perfect blacks for dark-room movies
- Highlight: Four HDMI 2.1 ports with up to 4K/165Hz, VRR, G-Sync, and FreeSync
- Highlight: Dolby Vision (including Dolby Vision gaming on Xbox) plus Filmmaker Mode
- Highlight: Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen3 and a mature webOS platform
Trade-offs
- Trade-off: Not as bright as mini-LED or glare-free QD-OLED rivals in a sun-filled room
- Trade-off: Glossy screen can pick up reflections in bright rooms
- Trade-off: Static logos left on for many hours a day carry a small long-term burn-in risk
- Bright room
- 3 out of 5
- Dark room
- 5 out of 5
- Movies
- 5 out of 5
- Sports
- 4 out of 5
- Gaming
- 5 out of 5
- Value
- 4 out of 5
Editorial fit scores, 1–5 — not lab measurements.
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- 02
Best 2025 model still worth buying
Hisense U8QG
- Mini-LED QLED
- 2025
- 55–85"
- ~$1,000
Last year's brightness-per-dollar champion is still on sale and still one of the best values in TVs, with a 165Hz panel and huge brightness.
Highlights
- Highlight: Very high peak brightness with dense local dimming for the price
- Highlight: Native high refresh (up to 165Hz class) with strong VRR support
- Highlight: Dolby Vision IQ plus HDR10+
- Highlight: Aggressive street pricing, especially at 65–75 inches
Trade-offs
- Trade-off: Smart-platform polish trails LG/Sony
- Trade-off: Off-angle color shift is more noticeable than wide-angle OLEDs
- Trade-off: Blooming on tough contrast scenes versus OLED
More views
Images: Hisense
- Bright room
- 5 out of 5
- Dark room
- 4 out of 5
- Movies
- 4 out of 5
- Sports
- 5 out of 5
- Gaming
- 5 out of 5
- Value
- 5 out of 5
Editorial fit scores, 1–5 — not lab measurements.
Check priceAffiliate link — opens a retailer search.
- 03
Best 2025 OLED for movies
Sony Bravia 8 II
- QD-OLED
- 2025
- 42–83"
- ~$2,500
Sony doesn't refresh every model every year, and the Bravia 8 II remains its OLED flagship — superb processing and color for film lovers.
Highlights
- Highlight: QD-OLED contrast and color with Sony's XR processing
- Highlight: Excellent upscaling and motion for movies and mixed content
- Highlight: Dolby Vision and Atmos support
- Highlight: Google TV with a deep app catalog
Trade-offs
- Trade-off: Only two full HDMI 2.1 ports — awkward for multi-console + soundbar setups
- Trade-off: Priced above the LG C6 for similar OLED fundamentals
- Trade-off: Gaming latency and port count trail LG/Samsung gaming specialists
More views
Images: Sony
- Bright room
- 4 out of 5
- Dark room
- 5 out of 5
- Movies
- 5 out of 5
- Sports
- 4 out of 5
- Gaming
- 4 out of 5
- Value
- 3 out of 5
Editorial fit scores, 1–5 — not lab measurements.
Check priceAffiliate link — opens a retailer search.
What actually changed in 2026
The headline 2026 developments are at the top of the market: RGB mini-LED flagships (Sony's Bravia 9 II, plus RGB models from Hisense and Samsung) and brighter flagship OLEDs. In the mid-range, changes are smaller: modest brightness gains, higher refresh rates (165Hz on more models), wider adoption of anti-glare screens, and updated processors and smart platforms.
That's why RTINGS titled its LG C6 review "more of the same" (embedded above). For most people, the picture difference between a 2025 and a 2026 mid-range TV from the same line is hard to see without a side-by-side.
Decode the model names
Brands encode the model year in the name, which makes it easy to spot last year's version on a shelf:
- LG: the number is the year — B5/C5/G5 are 2025; B6/C6/G6 are 2026.
- Samsung: the letter is the year — S90F/S95F are 2025; S90H/S95H/S85H are 2026.
- TCL: the suffix letter — QM8K/QM7K are 2025; QM8L/QM7L are 2026.
- Sony: Sony doesn't refresh annually; "II" marks a second generation (Bravia 8 II, Bravia 9 II).
When last year's model is the smarter buy
Our rule of thumb: if the 2025 version of the same model is at least 20–25% cheaper than the 2026 version, buy the 2025 model. That gap is bigger than the picture-quality difference in nearly every mid-range line. If the gap is smaller than about 10–15%, buy the new one for the longer software support and warranty window.
- Check that you're comparing the same size — discounts are often uneven across sizes.
- Clearance stock disappears fast in the fall; popular sizes sell out first.
- Make sure it's new, not open-box, unless the discount reflects that.
When the 2026 model is worth it
Pay for the new model when the price gap is small (the LG C6 is already heavily discounted), when you want a specific new feature (like a 165Hz panel for PC gaming or a glare-free screen), or when you're buying at the very top end, where RGB mini-LED is a genuine step forward for bright rooms.
Should you upgrade a TV you already own?
If you own a good OLED or mini-LED from the last three or four years, probably not — the improvements are evolutionary. The upgrades that are worth it are from an older edge-lit LCD to mini-LED or OLED, from a TV without HDMI 2.1 if you've bought a current console, or to a bigger screen.
Frequently asked questions
Is the LG C6 much better than the LG C5?
No — it's an incremental update with modest brightness and processing improvements and a higher refresh rate for PC gaming. If you find a C5 at a meaningfully lower price, it's an excellent buy.
When do TV prices drop the most?
Typically around Black Friday in late November, and again in the run-up to the Super Bowl in early February, when the outgoing model year is cleared ahead of the spring launches.
Will 2025 TVs still get software updates?
Generally yes for security and app updates for several years, though new features often go to newer models first. Policies differ by brand, so check the manufacturer's update commitments.
Related guides
Disclosure: Our picks are independent and editorial — a synthesis of public reviews and specs, not our own lab measurements. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.