Your TV is like a ticket to escape life’s stresses—if only for an hour or two at a stretch. To make the most of that valuable time, it’s important to choose the best TV for your needs. Researching tech can be a bit intimidating, so we’ve narrowed down some of the greatest smart TVs of 2021 for everything from sports to movies to video games.
What kind of TV are you looking for?
Best TV for Sports
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: LED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
Watching sports on a phone or tablet just doesn’t cut it. Instead, consider this high-quality LED panel from LG, which uses the Korean company’s acclaimed display tech to make even the fastest moving athletes and action render smoothly, crisply and in detailed 4K Ultra HD. It’s also available to purchase in 43 inches, 65 inches and 70 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| LG’s Quad Core processor and TrueMotion technology work together to reduce blur and make quick motion crystal clear. | Just two HDMI inputs mean anyone with more than a couple of video sources will be forced to occasionally get up and swap cables. |
| Web OS smart TV features make it easy to find the sports content you want to watch. | Due to the LED display, it doesn’t have wide viewing angles. If you have lots of guests over to watch games, consider upgrading to an LG OLED panel. |
| It’s compatible with smart home services including Google Home, Alexa and Apple Homekit, so you can show your friends what your house can do between plays. |
Best TV for Movies
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: ULED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
This gorgeous panel from the budget-conscious folks at Hisense uses a branded type of QLED technology called ULED. Basically, it intelligently adjusts light within specific areas of the panel to uncover subtle details in all sorts of scenes. In even simpler terms, you get a beautifully cinematic picture alive with colour and nuance. It also comes in 55 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| Dolby Vision HDR 10+ adjusts saturation and brightness to render beautifully lifelike images. | The 60 Hz refresh rate may be a tad slow for fans of high-speed action films. |
| You can instantly access thousands of films out of the box via Android smart TV services including Google Play. | Tipping the scales at over 44 pounds, this panel will likely require a helper to set up and move. |
| The adjustable feet allow you to set up this TV on narrower entertainment stands. |
Best TV for Gaming
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: QLED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
When shopping for a TV for gaming, it’s all about picture quality and performance (input lag is a no-no). This Samsung panel uses QLED technology and HDR to render an astounding array of authentic colours while bringing out details in shadows and clouds, all while delivering smooth action. For gamers, it’s like opening a window into the worlds you explore. Aside from 55 inches, it’s available at 43 inches, 50 inches, 65 inches and 75 inches. You might also like our reviews of the hottest new PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch games.
| Pros | Cons |
| Dual LED backlights are designed to deliver both warm and cool colouration to create a range of truer tones. | For immersive sound quality, you’ll need to purchase a soundbar. |
| Fantastic HDR performance gives colours a lifelike vividness even in dark and bright scenes. | There are only three HDMI ports, which isn’t great for gamers with multiple consoles. |
| A thin panel and elegant design make this TV pretty to look at even when it’s not switched on. |
Best 4K TV
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: QLED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
If good picture quality is vital to you but you can’t quite afford OLED (no judgment, it’s pricey!), this may be the panel for you. Quantum-dot technology (the Q in QLED) brings stunning colour and detail to areas of the picture that might otherwise appear washed out or like dark smears. Seeing it will make you a believer. You can also get it in 50 inches and 55 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| Contrast Control Zone and HDR combine to improve clarity in dark and bright scenes. | The 60 Hz true refresh rate could result in “screen tearing” in scenes with fast motion. |
| A built-in digital TV tuner and smart TV features provide plenty of viewing options out of the box. | It has four HDMI ports but no HDMI 2.1. |
| The dedicated game mode makes it easy to automatically optimize panel settings when playing games. |
Best Android TV
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: LED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
Android TVs are a fantastic way to easily find and stream content and even mirror pictures and videos from your mobile devices. Better still, they’re often quite affordable. This panel from Philips has all of these virtues and ups the ante with a nice range of usability features. It’s also available at 43 inches, 50 inches and 55 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| Android makes it sinfully easy to access content on Netflix, Google Play, YouTube and other streaming apps. | A relatively low contrast ratio and refresh rate mean the picture takes a bit of a hit. |
| It pairs with your Android phone to let you use Google Assistant or take video calls on TV. | The no-frills remote is fine for traditional control but won’t leave you wowed. |
| It also easily connects to your Bluetooth headphones when you don’t want to wake up the rest of the house. |
Best Big, Big Screen TV
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: QLED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
Sure, you could go big or go home. Or you could just bring the big home with you, thanks to this 85-inch panel from Samsung. Not only is it ginormous—over 21 square feet—but it’s also powered by Samsung’s own QLED display technology, ensuring a to-die-for home-cinema experience. And if you want something a little smaller, it comes in 55 inches and 65 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| QLED, HDR and a speedy 120 Hz refresh rate work in tandem to deliver exceptional picture quality. | It costs more than some vacations. |
| The huge size can accommodate multiple viewers, making it ideal for watching sports and movies with friends. | It’s way too difficult to set up or safely move on your own. |
| Support for HDMI 2.1—which enables 4K video at 120 Hz—makes this set perfect for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gamers. |
Best OLED TV
Resolution: 4k Ultra HD | Display technology: OLED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
If budget isn’t a concern, then this model is the one for you. LG’s OLED TV technology lights up each of this panel’s eight million pixels individually, ensuring unparalleled detail and colour accuracy. TV picture quality doesn’t get much better than this for movies, TV, sports and gaming. This 55-inch refurbished model is also available.
| Pros | Cons |
| The 480 Hz refresh rate makes for buttery smooth video. | It’s pricey. Like, mega-pricey. |
| The Bluetooth Magic Remote puts you in total control with buttons, plus voice and gesture input. | |
| Preloaded smart TV apps include Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube and more. |
Best Budget TV
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD | Display technology: LED | Smart: Yes | HDR: Yes
This 4K smart TV has more screen area than a crib mattress and probably costs less than what you spend on groceries in a month. So, if you’re on a budget but still want bang for your buck, it’s hard to do better. You can also buy it in 43 inches or 50 inches.
| Pros | Cons |
| 4K UHD resolution delivers great clarity in all sorts of content. | The listed 120 Hz refresh rate is the “effective rate,” which means there’s a bit of terminology trickery here. The actual refresh rate is only 60 Hz. |
| Roku smart TV features provide access to thousands of streaming channels. | It has three HDMI inputs but lacks an HDMI 2.1 port. |
| HDR support gives a boost to colours and contrast details. |
Best Small TV
Resolution: Full HD (1080p) | Display technology: LED | Smart: Yes | HDR: No
Smaller TVs still have a place in our bedrooms, kitchens and even small living rooms. This 32-inch screen from TCL is a fine fit for any of these spots, either sitting on its legs or mounted to a wall. It’s not a 4K TV, but more pixels don’t really make sense on smaller screens viewed from a distance. This 32-inch Sanyo smart TV might also do the trick.
| Pros | Cons |
| A built-in TV tuner combines with Roku smart TV apps to make accessing content quick and hassle-free. | No HDR means some scenes are likely to appear a little washed out or less vibrant. |
| Three HDMI inputs is a generous number for such a small TV. | The super simple remote does the trick but won’t win awards for innovation or design. |
| It’s extremely energy efficient, costing just $8 per year in electricity with average use. |
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Your Questions, Answered
What TV features should you consider?
Before buying a TV, you should have a basic understanding of the specs that matter. You can check out our TV buying guide to better understand the technology and terms involved, but here’s a quick list of some of the most important features.
- Screen Size: Make sure the TV you pick is a good fit for your room—and your furniture.
- Resolution: 4K Ultra HD is the standard right now, but you might want to consider 1080p (Full HD) or even 8K.
- Display technology: Most TVs are LCD/LED these days, but you may want to investigate pricier QLED and OLED panels if you want premium picture quality.
- High Dynamic Range (HDR): TVs with HDR are capable of rendering more vivid colours and details in bright and dark scenes (in HDR-supported content).
- Refresh Rate: This term refers to how quickly the screen refreshes the image and can be particularly important for sports, games, and fast action. 120 Hz is a good target.
- HDMI: Make sure the TV you buy has enough HDMI ports for all your devices and think about whether you need one of them to be HDMI 2.1, a faster standard designed for higher resolutions and frame-refresh rates.
How we choose products: Simply put, we don’t recommend any products we wouldn’t buy ourselves. Our writers leverage a number of sources as a starting point, including reputable third-party reviews, Walmart.ca user reviews, and Walmart Canada’s category specialists. theHUB editorial staff has final say for all products included in this guide.
Any product claims noted are provided by the manufacturer, unless otherwise stated.
Prices shown are subject to change. Please check Walmart.ca for the latest pricing.
This article is intended as general information. Always be sure to read and follow the label(s)/instruction(s) that accompany your product(s). Walmart will not be responsible for any injury or damage caused by this activity.
