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Choosing the best TV for a bright room could mean the difference between squinting at your TV or enjoying your favorite episode of Netflix while facing an open window. Our evaluation focused on image brightness, LCD LED vs. 4K Resolution vs. OLED, auxiliary technology (triple-layer screens to reduce glare), motion rate, and Smart features such as built-in Alexa and Google Assistant for easy voice command control. If you like these features, then you might also want to check out our top-rated TVs guide.
After more than 21 hours of research and testing, our pick for the best TV for bright room goes to the Samsung UN50RU7100FXZA TV for Bright Room. It is an absolute powerhouse, featuring Purcolor for a radiant image and a wide color gamut along with Motion Rate 120 technology for smooth action. It also features built-in Alexa and Google Assistant for easy voice commands to find and control your favorite movies and shows. Keep reading to learn more about other great TVs for bright rooms available for purchase.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This best TV for a bright room uses Purcolor technology, which creates an ultra-lifelike picture and wide color gamut, great for people who especially watch tons of nature and outdoor shows.
Our favorite feature of this Samsung TV is its color replication. PurColor really amplifies images by better reproducing shades of color, particularly with magenta, cyan, and yellow, as opposed to simply red, green, and blue. In testing, we noticed much more vibrant nature scenes with an even greater amount of detail with leaves and wildlife versus other TVs we tested. This is also especially important to detect greater contrasts between deeper blacks and purer whites. Being a reputable TV brand, we’ve created a list of the top Samsung TV models.
This Samsung TV’s 4K UHD Processor creates especially sharp images at a much better clip than standard HDTV (for those that want to have an actual 4K TV, take a look at some great 4K TV models. Regarding this specific model, Motion Rate 120 technology also helps create much smoother action, especially important for sports-watching fans used to high octane. Kudos for the built-in Alexa and Google Assistant capability, which allows you to issue voice commands for pause and playback without toggling a separate Amazon Fire Stick. It’s a great choice for anyone looking for the best HDR TV.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV features an X1 Extreme Processor and X-tended Dynamic Range technology, which creates exceptionally vivid contrasts for darker dark scenes and brighter bright scenes – a great choice as a No. 1 TV for a dark room, living room, or family room.
This TV really shines with its display. It’s led by X1 Extreme Processor technology, which processes HDR content to create a sharper and more lifelike picture than standard HDTV with 40$ faster image processing than its predecessor, the 4K Processor X1. While testing, watching a New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers game on this 55-inch machine felt truly immersive and true to life, making us feel as if we were in the stands. For even more immersion through a larger screen, check out our guide to the top-rated 65-inch TV models, or for those who have the space, you can go for the best 75-inch TV models.
X-Motion Clarity is also a very innovative feature of this TV. Fast-moving scenes never appeared to lag or blur and maintained brightness pretty well. Kudos for supporting HDR10 and hybrid log gamma (HLG as well as Dolby Vision.) Smart features are also on point with Alexa and Google Home compatibility for playing back media using your voice or even streaming smart camera feeds to your TV. If you’re interested in the best smart TV for streaming, this is a good option.
Award: BEST CONTROLS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV comes with a stunning OLED display, high dynamic range (HDR), and the LG Magic Remote, which works similar to a mouse with a cursor on the screen, great for people who hate navigating lengthy menus.
We really love this top-rated 55-inch TV display, which is really known for deeper blacks for improved contrasts than QLEDs. While watching an episode of Paw Patrol, cartoon characters really seemed to pop off the screen. Plus, the Dolby Atmos really shines, and sound quality from the TV speaker ranks among the top we tested.
This TV really shines with the LG Magic Remote., which uses mouse-like controls and a click wheel to scroll through menus as opposed to clunky arrow buttons. It is also “smart” in other ways, compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to control smart home devices and easy video playback using voice commands. If you’re interested in putting this TV in the bedroom, our best TV for bedrooms guide has some additional options.
Award: BEST MINIMALIST DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV comes with an outstanding native 120Hz refresh rate, and a minimalist design, a great choice for people who prefer minimal flash and all substance.
Although not as sharp as OLED sets (this one is a standard LED-LCD), this Ultra HD TV works great in open sunlit rooms and heavily lit rooms with a native 120Hz refresh rate, motion is really smooth. Watching high-speed motion videos like horse racing and America’s Next Top Warrior speeds through with no noticeable lag with even the most frenzied shots. The last thing you want is noticeable lag on your TV, especially when gaming. To find the solution, read our guide to the best TV for gaming.
The biggest strength of this Ultra HD TV is its remote. It is voice-activated and connected to Google’s voice assistant for quick retrieval of weather reports, channels, and other commands. When connected to an Alexa speaker, it can even accept voice commands without a remote. It’s a great option for anyone looking for the best outdoor TV as well.
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV’s display is an absolute killer, featuring 8K resolution and an 8K AI upscaling that automatically converts content to 8K, a great choice for people who want the sharpest and clearest picture possible.
Hands down, our favorite feature with this TV is its 8K resolution. For the technophiles, this unit is capable of delivering 33,177,600 pixels, crazy compared to traditional 4K UHD’s 8,251,200 pixels. All of this is evident in the details, with a stunning and lifelike picture that remained consistent in all types of formats. We were very impressed with the overall picture.
It also features FreeSync variable refresh rate support., which offers amazing motion handling for practically no blur between high-speed images. Kudos for the ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ layer, offering wide viewing angles for a better look from opposite sides of the screens, great for larger groups of people watching. For improved viewing quality, you might also enjoy our best curved TV buying guide. Be sure to also check out our Vizio TV reviews if you’re looking for another great brand that makes TVs alongside Samsung.
Award: BEST SOUND
WHY WE LIKE IT: This best TV for bright rooms features an Active Voice Amplifier to minimize the effect of background noise, as well as multiple speaker placements, making it a great choice for people who want to prioritize rich and booming sound.
This Samsung QLED best TV for bright rooms really pops with its Quantum Processor 4K technology, which uses deep learning to convert content to 4K. Quantum Dot technology is capable of more than one billion colors thanks to its upgrade processor. Plus, backlights really deliver a deeper set of black levels and whites. Consider this a great choice for dark rooms or any living room.
One of our favorite features of this Quantum Dot technology TV set is its sound and volume controls. It uses an Active Voice Amplifier, which takes in your home’s background noise and adjusts on-screen voices to make them easier to hear. That, combined with multiple speaker placements on the TV, makes this one of the better-sounding Quantum technology TV sets we’ve tested. Imagine this TV with a soundbar! It’s why we’ve designated it the best sounding TV on this list.
Award: BEST FOR APPLE FANS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This best TV for bright rooms comes with a sharp 4K resolution (UHD) and built-in Apple Airplay, a great choice for Apple die-hards who skip out on Alexa and Google Assistant.
This best TV for bright rooms offers really sharp images using a 4K QuadCore processor, which offers four times the processing power of a standard HDTV. Plus, it is one of the better-sounding TVs we’ve tested, with Bluetooth Surround Ready compatibility, which allows users to connect up to two speakers for a more immersive experience.
One of our favorite features of this TV is its compatibility with Apple Airplay 2 and Homekit, which allow users to stream content directly from Apple devices onto the big screen. Our only knock is that the screen is not high-range OLED, which runs up to four times the amount of pixels for a brighter and wider contrast picture. However, it is serviceable enough as a No. 1 TV option for your home. If a 43-inch TV isn’t cutting it for you, consider the best 70-inch TV instead.
Award: BEST INTERFACE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This best TV for bright rooms offers 1080-pixel, full-HD resolution, and is Roku-compatible, great for people who prioritize access to streaming content over actual picture quality.
This great TV is a serviceable, cheap one with little frills. It offers 1080-pixel, full-HD resolution, which is a step below 4K and 8K resolution, with much less vibrancy and color contrasts. Even its refresh rate is below our recommendation (60Hz as opposed to 120Hz). However, it more than makes up for it with full Roku compatibility and Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, which allows you to use voice commands to flip between movies and play and pause.
Another feature we like on this best TV for bright rooms is its 3 HDMI ports, which offer enough firepower to plug in multiple smart devices and gaming systems. It’s the best 1080p TV on our list.
Award: BEST VALUE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This serviceable TV for bright rooms comes with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support and Roku compatibility, a great budget choice for sports and Roku content consumers.
This TV performs average to above average in most areas. Although it is based on older LED technology (2018 model) with full array/local dimming, stunning contrasts, and HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, its strength lies with its Roku compatibility with a simplified interface. Menus are ultra-responsive, and 4K content is easy to find with a Spotlight and extensive apps collection.
One knock on this TV is its ‘120Hz clear motion index, which is a marketing version of a slightly more advanced 60Hz refresh rate. Blur is a little more evident in high-speed motion scenes than better-ranked picks on our list. Even so, we were very impressed with this TV’s overall value. Another great option is the best TV for sports.
Award: BEST BASIC TV
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV for a bright room comes with a simple Roku interface and a healthy number of HDMI ports (3), making it a great choice for avid external device users (e.g. Amazon Fire Stick and Playstation 4).
Our favorite feature of this TV is its 4K UHD picture, which quadruples 4K’s resolution for an even sharper display chock full of deeper contrasts between blacks and whites. In an airy, bright room with open windows, the display looks phenomenal. Kudos for Amazon Alexa compatible and the intuitive Roku TV remote, which has a well-thought-out button layout with fewer buttons than a traditional TV remote.
Note, this is a serviceable TV for anyone who doesn’t discern too much with image quality. Contrast and black levels performance are not as sharp. Consider this a better buy for its built-in Roku than its motion rate (60Hz) and picture quality. It’s a great option for anyone looking for the best TV for seniors who don’t need all the bells and whistles.
In determining the best TV for bright rooms to buy, we explored image brightness, OLED vs. QLED, technology (triple-layer screens), and auxiliary technology features such as Android TV and built-in Alexa and Google Assistant to easily find your favorite movies/shows with voice commands for playback.
Whether it’s a best 40-inch TV for bright rooms or a best 43-inch TV for a bright room, image brightness is better with LCD screens than with OLED screens. OLEDs carry a wider color range of darker darks and vivid while LEDs generally carry a higher light output. Our only knock is that it generally tends to attract glare with glossier screens. Opt for the best anti-glare TV with a matte screen to help deflect glare from sunlight windows and make it easier for people to watch TV in a bright room.
Technology is a very important component with the best TV for bright rooms. We are big fans of triple-layer screen technology, which helps to reduce reflections. A full array local dimming feature, and a series of back panel LEDs also work wonders in helping optimize contrast levels to produce deeper blacks, equally useful when watching in dark rooms.
