Every year TV brands want you to buy a new TV; the question always is, do you need one? TV manufacturers want the answer to be yes, but for yourself as the customer, the answer is not always clear.
After all, buying a TV is a big investment and for most people, a TV is a long-term commitment, so you’ll want to get it right.
TVs get better each year and 2025 models bring new innovations, more features and promises of a better experience to the table. Is 2025 a good year to update your TV? Well it depends on how old your TV is, how much you want to spend, and what you use that TV for.
Is it time to upgrade your TV?
Deciding whether to upgrade your TV usually comes down to one main thing: is it still working properly?
There are plenty of people who have had TVs for 10+ years and haven’t thought about upgrading because their TV does exactly what they need it to do. The era of smart TVs has brought more interactivity, but also caused problems in terms of longevity. That Netflix app that worked when you first bought the TV might not be functional any more.
The jump up in advanced connectivity through HDMI and wireless support makes it worth investing in a new TV, especially if you have a pre-2020 model. The rise in the use of AI has improved upscaling by determining the difference between signal noise and detail, making for sharper, clearer, and more detailed images.
The picture quality of today’s TVs is superior in many cases to older LED TVs, though there are still some who swear that their Plasma TVs can still give OLED TVs a run for their money. However, very old TVs miss out on 4K and HDR.
Sound quality is the one area where it hasn’t improved much unless you’re purchasing the very best OLED TV. But newer TVs that have HDMI ARC or even HDMI eARC allow for a high quality sound system or one of the best soundbars to be connected.
How much are you willing to spend on a new TV?
The very best TVs are the most expensive ones, but most people won’t be able to afford them.
If you’re looking for value, TVs less than £500 offer decent value. If you’re putting the priority on performance, I would suggest you spend more on one of the best 4K TVs. You’d be surprised by how much of a step up it is.
A cheat code is buying an older 2024 TV. They’ll be discounted before the 2025 range hits online and brick-and-mortar stores, saving you money in the process.
What are the biggest upgrades for 2025 TVs?
When it comes to new TVs, there’s a tendency to focus on more expensive models. It’s what TV manufacturers would like you to buy, but also because people get excited by new technology.
But the majority of people can’t afford those TVs. So, what are the biggest upgrades for 2025 TVs for most people?
I would say that the biggest upgrade is with user interfaces.
Whether it’s Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Tivo OS, Amazon’s Fire TV, Roku OS, Google TV, Titan OS and plenty more, TV brands are looking to provide a simpler, more engaging experience. If you have a good experience using their TVs, you’re more likely to stick with them for your next purchase.
There’s been a big focus on ‘free’ content. Many offer content that’s free-to-watch (with ads) that viewers can jump into. Samsung TV Plus has channels such as Hot Ones, Poldark, and America’s Got Talent that are free to watch. LG Channels has Richard Hammond’s DriveTribe, The IT Crowd and Ash vs the Evil Dead as exclusives to its service.
Other platforms offer free, third-party services such as Tubi, and in the UK there are free platforms such as Freely offering ways to access catch-up and on-demand content without the need for an aerial.
Both Samsung and LG offer multiple years of guaranteed OS updates, which should ensure that the OS lasts for longer.
AI search is also becoming common, even on less expensive TVs. Whether it’s an Amazon Fire TV with Alexa, TiVo OS or Whale TV; AI is becoming a fixture in both cheap and expensive screens.
Sure, I could say that picture quality is better or that gaming is much improved, but that depends on the TV you buy. Across the board, the biggest upgrade is the smart experience and the wealth of content, both paid for and free, that you can access on your TVs.
But what about picture quality?
Picture quality has improved each year, even on less expensive TVs.
And that’s because technology once seen to be premium, has come down to less expensive models. For instance, Quantum Dot screens that offered a wider range of colours than standard LED TVs used to command thousands of dollars or pounds. Now you can get one for less than £500 / $500.
Mini LED is another technology that’s become more widespread. TV manufacturers such as TCL have brought it down to more affordable levels with its upcoming C6K TV. Samsung has taken a similar approach with its 2025 Quantum Dot panels and Mini LED screens too.
Brightness is getting better, although at the cheaper end of the market, brightness is still low and not an improvement to improve over TVs from a few years ago. Motion processing can be hit or miss but is generally getting better, especially at the pricier end of the market.
HDR will have the biggest impact on the viewing experience, but most people still watch in SD and HD resolution, and that has made upscaling a bigger focus. TV brands such as Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and LG have been historically good at upscaling, though the quality of the upscaling performance depends on the size of the screen.
How big a TV do you need?
There’s been a trend in the last few years of bigger and bigger TVs.
I’ve seen 75-inch TVs growing in popularity, but TV manufacturers are selling more 85- and Samsung is selling the 98-inch QE98Q80C.
But not everyone has the space or can afford a big TV (even if some, like the TCL 98Q9BK are extraordinarily inexpensive). TVs below 50-inches have become popular amongst gamers, doubling up as a TV and gaming monitor. 42- and 48-inch OLEDs are still fairly expensive, but they are usually the first OLED TVs to be discounted during the big TV sales.
And what about lifestyle TVs?
In essence, a lifestyle TV is like any other TV, but the emphasis is on design.
That doesn’t mean that performance is worse than a ‘normal’ TV. I saw the Samsung Frame Pro TV during a visit to Frankfurt and was impressed by its colour and brightness. Samsung were the first TV brand to dip into the lifestyle market with the Serif and Frame TVs, and others have imitated them, such as Hisense’s Canvas TVs.
A lifestyle TV complements your room. They’re more aesthetically elegant than ‘normal’ TVs and when the TV is in standby mode, it can display an art piece or a personal photo, so you’re not left with a black rectangle in your room.
For those who’ve had a ‘normal’ TV and want to upgrade to something different, a lifestyle TV might be what you’re looking for.
Should you buy a TV in 2025?
TVs have arguably never been better, especially if you shop upmarket. The picture quality is better, the connectivity and number of features are almost too numerous to count. The user experience has become more important as a way of differentiating one TV from another.
The question of whether you should buy a new TV in 2025 always comes down to what you want. If you have an older, non-smart TV, you could always add one of the best streaming sticks to upgrade its smarts. If you want a better gaming performance then recent TVs have really improved in that regard, whether it’s input lag or features such as 4K/120Hz refresh rates.
Even less expensive TVs offer decent picture quality, though they are more compromised than more expensive models, whether it’s processing power, picture quality or sound.
Whatever you have, perhaps more than in any other previous year, 2025 offers a wide range of options to choose from.
Not seen all the 2025 TVs are available yet, but at Trusted Reviews, we strive to review as many as possible, whether it’s the best TVs you can buy to the best cheap TVs on the market. If you need a TV and are stuck for what to buy, check out our best lists and read our reviews for the best advice on buying a new TV in 2025.
