Five 2022 TVs totally worth getting in 2023

All right, so… this happened. After The Point published this story about the impending clash between the three flagship OLED TVs of 2023 — referring to a few other OLED TV models as alternative choices too — a number of consumers reached out asking, more or less, the same thing: since I mentioned a few 2022 OLED TVs that still deserve people’s money in 2023, what other 2022 TVs would be worth buying this year?

It’s a fair question: it’s not just OLED TVs that get deep discounts every spring, right before their successors arrive. Τop LED/LCD models get those too. Certain flagship TVs of this kind get even deeper discounts, actually, as manufacturers seek to improve the backlighting and image processing of the newer models, rendering their predecessors “obsolete” in the process.

So, without further ado: these are five 2022 televisions — of all three display technologies available today — that stand out as worthy purchases still, despite the new models coming out in the coming months. Retailers are selling them at discounted prices so as to make room for those 2023 TV models, so consumers who don’t want to miss out on these five TV sets should probably seek the one they’re interested in sooner rather than later.

In no particular order, then, the following five 2022 TVs are definitely worth buying in 2023, especially considering their discounted prices:

LG C2

The most affordable OLED TV worth its asking price — that excludes the A2 or the B2 — is still a very good option in 2023 for all the right reasons: it’s well-made, it offers plenty of ports — notably four HDMI 2.1 ones, all full-speed — and its operating system is highly usable, even if ads and general promotional stuff get in the way more than they once did. Most importantly: the C2 will get consumers to 80% of the picture quality offered by its much costlier sibling, the G2, in most use cases. It’s the LG model that makes the most sense for anyone interested in cinematic picture quality but not that much interested in paying a hefty premium for the remaining 20% the G2 is asking for.

Since its initial release in Q2 of 2022, the C2 has received a number of updates that solved a few problems discovered by consumers, so now it’s pretty much flawless. It’s arguably the highest value OLED TV for gaming, offering not just those four HDMI 2.1 ports but also the most comprehensive support for all the different standards and technologies PC gamers, PS5 gamers and Xbox Series S/X gamers have access to. Its design is rather simplistic, and its built-in sound system is just OK, but the C2 is still the best mainstream choice for an OLED TV today. As with every other TV model, it pays off to make the most of the deep discounts it’s getting right now and buy either the largest possible size (up to 83 inches) or the smallest, 42/48-inch sizes (at the price of a good PC monitor).

Sony A95K

The best TV of 2022 for movies or TV shows would probably be included in this list by default, but the first QD-OLED TV built by Sony is noteworthy regardless. The pure, vibrant colors, increased brightness and wider palette it offers over “traditional” OLEDs — combined with the Japanese manufacturer’s market-leading image processing — make this TV set an absolute joy to watch regardless of content (modern films do show off its strengths in the best possible manner obviously). Sound is clearly a cut above what’s delivered by other OLED televisions and, although gamers may object to the A95K having only two HDMI 2.1 ports, the picture quality and low latency they get in return largely make up for it.

No TV is perfect, of course, but the A95K comes surprisingly close to that: if all one can complain about is its somewhat divisive design — two different possible positions for its stand, neither of which allows for the easy placement of a soundbar — and the disappointing performance of its free webcam accessory, then one’s clearly nitpicking. The only real drawback regarding the A95K? It’s not yet as heavily discounted as the rest of the TVs recommended in this list. Sony knows it has a winner in its hands and retailers see it that way too, so until this TV’s successor — the A95L — arrives, discounts of around 20%-25% on its 2022 street price will probably be the norm. When the A95L does arrive, though…

Sony X95K

A lot of consumers looking for a new general-purpose TV might be better served by a quality LED/LCD unit rather than an OLED one, which is why Sony’s best current 4K set of this kind is easy to recommend at a discounted price. The X95K features MiniLED backlighting (the first Sony TV of this kind), so the number of individually controllable local dimming zones is considerably higher than before. That, combined with Sony’s consistently superior controlling algorithm, manages to pull off the kind of picture quality few of its peers can match. It can get quite bright too, so it’s capable of working splendidly in all kinds of lighting conditions.

The X95K is built around Google TV, so it offers a fast, responsive and configurable user interface along with the widest selection of apps available. Its built-in sound system is just OK, though, as is its selection of ports: just two HDMI 2.1 ones (the eARC-compatible among them) limiting the number of devices that can be used along with a soundbar. The X95K will likely be surpassed in picture quality terms by its 2023 successor, the X95L, but it’s a great all-rounder to get at the heavily discounted prices all three models (of 65/75/85 inches) go for these days. Fans of the famous “Sony look” in modern TVs will enjoy every moment with this set.

Samsung QN90B

While Sony stuck to its tried and true formula of “a modest number of local dimming zones driven by a superior algorithm” for its top LED/LCD TV in 2022, Samsung went the other way, only slightly adjusting its algorithm and actually increasing the number for MiniLED dimming zones compared to the already high number of those its predecessor, the QN90A, offered. That bet paid off: the QN90B comes impressively close to the perfect blacks of an OLED while maintaining the dazzlingly high brightness that makes HDR content so enjoyable. Blooming around bright objects on black backgrounds is inevitable, but it’s kept to a minimum in most cases. Other than that, the QN90B handles every kind of content beautifully, delivering the kind of confident, detailed picture Samsung is known for.

The QN90B comes with all the bells and whistles of a flagship model: four full-speed HDMI 2.1 ports, fast Wi-Fi connectivity, a well-designed user interface (plus a good selection of apps for it) and a wide range of useful extras. Its built-in speaker system is mediocre, though, so demanding consumers may have to get a quality soundbar for this particular TV at some point if they mean to enjoy its sound as much as its picture. Discounted as deeply as it is right now, though, the QN90B deserves many consumers’ attention. Its 65- and 75-inch versions seem to be the sweet spot in terms of price, which makes sense for 4K.

Panasonic LZ2000

Rounding up the 2022 TVs worth getting in 2023 is Panasonic’s flagship OLED model, which has been extremely well-reviewed when it comes to cinematic picture quality. The Japanese manufacturer is famously focused on Hollywood studio-level color accuracy and the experience of its engineers in that department does make a difference, as the LZ2000 manages to faithfully reproduce even the most challenging film material today. It’s quite bright and, amazingly enough, the only OLED TV to support every single one of the four different HDR formats available in the market today. Its built-in sound system is much better than what OLED TVs usually offer and its gaming-related functionality is solid.

There are a few things to keep in mind regarding the LZ2000, though. First, its “My HomeScreen” Smart TV platform is inadequate to say the least, so a quality media player — e.g. a good UHD player, an Apple TV, or an nVidia Shield — is needed in order to get the most out of it. Second, it seems to be in short supply in many countries and it does not seem to get as deep discounts as other OLED TVs. Third, it’s not officially available in the United States and it might prove pointlessly expensive to get one (any cost-benefit earned from a deep discount might be offset by import taxes). So US consumers should probably be looking at one of the other OLEDs mentioned in this story. For everyone else it’s a great choice… provided they can find one, that is!

Bonus recommendation

Sony A90J

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: yes, it’s pretty unusual to recommend purchasing a TV set almost two years after it was first released to market (given this category’s yearly product cycle), but this was hands-down the best 4K TV of 2021, the best 2021 OLED TV and the most cinematic one among its peers for a very long time. It’s so great, in fact, that Sony still promotes this as its top “traditional” (non-Quantum Dot) OLED model for 2023 despite releasing other new OLED models. It’s still one of the brightest OLED TVs out there — at the time of publishing this article in April 2023 — and it still sports one of the best image processing systems available on a modern TV, offering accurate colors and the smoothest, clearest motion anyone can ask for.

The A90J is a high-quality TV by 2023 standards in almost all other areas: its built-in sound system is superb, Google TV is snappy, its Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable. Its only shortcoming is the number of HDMI 2.1 ports: it offers two of those, not four, with one of them being the eARC port — effectively not allowing gamers to connect a PS5, an Xbox Series X and a top soundbar on it all at the same time. Other than that, though, this is a truly outstanding TV set (full review here) and, at its current heavily discounted price, it’s a no-brainer for consumers intending to use their new television mainly for watching films and TV shows.