Importance Score: 20 / 100 🔵
Despite initial manufacturer enthusiasm and lofty projections, 8K TVs are struggling to gain traction in the market. Many major television producers are either carrying over existing 8K models or abandoning the format altogether. Looking ahead to 2025, Samsung remains the sole major brand announcing new 8K television sets, but these are positioned at a price point that is difficult to justify for the offered enhancements. Consequently, we are not recommending any 8K TVs to consumers this year.
The Unfulfilled Promise of 8K Resolution
It may appear counterintuitive that 8K TVs, often perceived as top-tier televisions due to their high price and ultra-high definition resolution, are not featured among our recommended best TVs. While the 8K TVs we have evaluated demonstrate generally strong performance, they are frequently surpassed by 4K TVs incorporating technologies like OLED and Mini-LED. These alternative technologies often provide superior picture quality per screen inch at a more accessible price.
In retrospect, the current situation is not entirely unexpected. 8K TVs were introduced with the promise of significantly more detailed and sharper visuals. However, this potential has rarely been fully realized. Despite possessing four times the pixel density of 4K TVs, the benefits of 8K resolution are limited by the scarcity of native 8K content. The majority of content displayed on 8K screens is upscaled 4K content. While upscaling technology has advanced considerably, it does not match the visual fidelity of genuine 8K content.
This presents a classic “chicken and egg” dilemma. Manufacturers are hesitant to produce 8K TVs without readily available 8K content, while content creators lack incentive to produce 8K content without a substantial market of 8K TV owners. A similar pattern occurred with the early adoption of 4K and even HDTV. However, the transition to HDTV was propelled by a concerted industry-wide effort to move consumers away from standard definition.
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4K adoption also benefited from the increasing prevalence of larger screen sizes and the fact that much existing media could gain from the increased resolution. Historically, movies and television programs were frequently captured on 35mm film. Broadly speaking, 35mm film contains a level of detail exceeding HD and often comparable to 4K. However, the same argument does not readily extend to 8K.
Hisense’s 8K TV, from 2023.
While some 35mm film negatives, and certainly larger 70mm negatives used for major productions, might exhibit enhanced detail in 8K compared to 4K, this represents a small fraction of overall content. Although many current productions utilize cameras capable of capturing at least 4K, 8K cameras remain uncommon. Even productions filmed at resolutions exceeding 4K rarely release content beyond 4K resolution.
Furthermore, access to 8K content remains limited. Mainstream streaming services are primarily geared towards 4K delivery and could theoretically offer 8K content on select devices, contingent on demand. Cable and satellite providers often still grapple with consistently delivering 4K content. In essence, 8K TVs are high-performance machines with limited avenues to showcase their full capabilities, performing only marginally better than 4K TVs for most viewing needs.
Diminishing Availability of 8K TVs
Scott Ramirez, Vice President of Product Marketing and Development for Home Theater at TCL, shared his insights on the future of 8K during a discussion:
“I don’t think 8K is going to be very important in at least in the near future. There’s very little content available for 8K. And without 8K content, really not much advantage for the consumer and still a price premium. And the other thing is the picture quality of 4K has gotten so amazingly good… What has been more important, more impactful [for] picture quality has been increasing the contrast, increasing the color purity, the color color gamut, increasing the brightness, [and] the overall HDR impact. These things seem to have much more impact for the consumer than going from 4K to 8K.”
Hisense is adopting a more cautious, observational approach, according to Ondre Clarke, Director of TV Product Marketing:
“Hisense has been driving the shift toward bigger, high-performance TVs, making premium large screens more accessible than ever. We’ve seen incredible growth in this space, and we’re continuing to push the boundaries of performance and quality and features that matter most to viewers today. At the same time, we’ve been actively developing 8K and while the U.S. demand isn’t there yet, we’re ready to bring 8K into our lineup when the time is right”
LG also recognizes the long-term possibilities of 8K while acknowledging current market realities. David Park, head of media solutions customer value enablement at LG, stated:
“There is an element of ‘future proofing’ when purchasing an 8K TV but due to the lack of available 8K content, 8K adoption among consumers is extremely slow. With that in mind LG is currently focusing on providing the best picture and viewing experience on our 4K OLED, QNED and UHD TVs.”
Price Comparison: 8K vs. 4K TVs
To illustrate the price discrepancy, let’s compare Samsung’s 2025 8K TV lineup with their acclaimed 4K QD-OLED models and other alternatives. The most affordable 8K TV, the 65-inch QN900F, carries a suggested retail price of $3,299. In contrast, the 65-inch S95D OLED, praised for its “best all-around image quality we’ve ever tested,” is priced at $2,000. No technology, including AI-driven enhancements featured in newer models, will likely make an 8K LCD TV outperform a QD-OLED.
For larger screens, the 77-inch S90D OLED is available for approximately $2,100. The 75-inch QN900F 8K TV, however, costs $4,299. Comparing higher-end 8K models, the QN990F series further emphasizes the value proposition of OLED. The 65-inch QN990F is priced at $5,499, and the 75-inch model at $6,499.
For those seeking very large displays where 8K resolution might theoretically offer some benefit, the 98-inch QN990F reaches a staggering $39,999. Conversely, a 100-inch Hisense 4K TV can be obtained for a fraction of that cost. While it is “only 4K,” the difference in pixel density becomes negligible without extremely close viewing distances, especially given the lack of widespread 8K content.
While some of these comparisons involve previous year models, they remain currently available for purchase, making the price disparities relevant. Even if these models are replaced, it is anticipated that their successors will still be more economical than comparable 8K TVs.
Future Prospects for 8K Televisions
Does our current stance represent a permanent dismissal of 8K TVs? Not necessarily. The limitations of 8K are not rooted in manufacturing capabilities; producers have demonstrated their ability to create 8K TVs. The primary obstacle remains the lack of 8K content, a challenge largely outside the control of TV manufacturers (with the possible exception of Sony, given its content production divisions). Without sufficient 8K content, the advantages of 8K TVs are minimal.
This would be less problematic if 8K TVs were priced competitively with or lower than comparable 4K TVs. However, 8K TVs are generally more expensive while offering comparable or even inferior performance in some aspects compared to leading 4K TVs. Given that resolution is only one factor influencing picture quality, and not the most critical one for many viewers, 8K becomes a costly feature with limited practical utility.
Therefore, for 2025, we are not recommending 8K TVs. Should prices decrease substantially, 8K content become readily accessible, or unforeseen technological advancements emerge, our assessment might change in the future.