The best 4K 120 Hz TVs you can buy for PS5 and Xbox gaming
You love gaming, but your current TV isn't delivering exceptional images like you hope. In which case, we've rounded up a list of the best 4K 120 Hz TVs with low latency, excellent refresh rates, and more. Read today's blog to discover our findings along with some guidance with making a choice.
To make the most of your favorite games, you need a 4K TV that brings visuals to life. Imagine the game being so realistic that the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your heart skips a beat. There are many virtual reality headsets that can encourage a gameplay like this, but a TV can take the experience to a whole new level.
Xiaomi TV Master 65-Inch OLED Television
Key features of a gaming TV
You know you want bright visuals and improved streaming, but what are some specifics you should look for in the best 4K 120 Hz TVs? Below, we’ve outlined some key considerations to bear in mind.
Low latency
Focus on buying a low-latency TV. This refers to the time it takes your TV to display the images onscreen. And when you’re playing Call of Duty, you need to see your enemies appear in real-time with reduced lagging. In fact, a high-latency TV doesn’t allow you enough time to react to obstacles or enemies since it’s technically not happening in that moment.
If you’re a hardcore gamer, opt for a gaming TV that has a latency of 30 ms or under. Most 4K TVs have around 60 ms of latency, which might be too high to keep you on point when gaming.
Refresh rates
When you’re watching a movie, you probably want a TV with a refresh rate of around 60 fps. However, for gaming, opt for 120 Hz, which refreshes twice as quickly. Aside from keeping you in the action and preventing any delays, you’ll probably notice a significant change to the image sharpness on a 120 Hz TV. This delays blurring and increases sharpness for an overall improved picture quality.
Furthermore, an increased refresh rate can enhance responsiveness and eliminate tearing in games. After all, the TV will show up to 120 frames per second, which is particularly ideal for high-action games.
4K quality
A 4K TV can deliver images of up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, which provides sharpness and reduces pixelation when viewed up close. If you don’t choose a 4K TV, images may look slightly blurry when you’re close to the screen, which most of the time you will be when gaming.
HDMI ports
In addition, your chosen TV must offer an HDMI 2.0 port as a HDMI 1.4 port is limited to 30 frames per second for 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. This can be one of the most overlooked features when choosing a gaming TV. But, as we mentioned earlier, refresh rates are an important feature in a gaming TV.
Screen size
Finally, the size of the TV plays an important role in the enjoyment of gaming. But you should consider where you’ll be positioned when playing games, rather than the size of your room. Although you might have enough room for a 65-inch TV, if you tend to sit close to the screen, you may not have enough scope to see all of the content in front of you. In which case, a 48-inch 4K TV might be a wiser choice. However, if you’re sat farther away from the screen, bigger is better!
The Best 4K 120 Hz TVs to buy
Now, let’s get down to discovering the best 4K 120 HZ TVs for gaming based on the specifications above. We’ve provided a variety of screen sizes and image quality—including QLED and OLED—to a curved display. However, all of these TVs pride themselves in excellent image and audio quality, allowing you to become fully immersed when gaming.
If you’re struggling to decide between these various options, consider the screen sizes available. The TV should complement your living space and not overpowering it. Have you ever seen a TV that’s evidently too large for the living room? It looks overwhelming and can even hurt your eyes when you’re watching TV for several hours at a time. Furthermore, take note of the specifications for each of the TVs below, since the refresh rate and latency are probably the most important features to consider before you make a purchase.
LG Display 48-Inch Bendable CSO Gaming Display
The standout feature of this LG TV is its curved design that improves visibility when gaming—especially with car racing games. But it also transform into a flat screen for when you’re watching movies. In fact, it can bend with a radius of up to 1,000 mm, making it a two-in-one TV.
The LG Display TV also has a high refresh rate with a range of 40–120 Hz, along with a response time of 0.1 ms. These specifications prevent any lagging and alone you to play high-action games with reduced distortion and in real-time.
And this TV also has a focus on audio quality. In particular, the screen can vibrate to produce sound, which is ideal if you enjoy gaming without headphones or external speakers. Moreover, the monitor boasts built-in speakers that favor LG’s Cinematic Sound OLED technology to bring visuals to life in the room.
LG Display 48-Inch Bendable CSO gaming display
TCL 5-Series QLED TV
The TCL 5-Series QLED TV is every gamer’s dream. It’s available in various sizes, including 50, 55, 65, and 75 inches. This is great for complementing a large-sized room. Most impressively, the TV uses Dolby Vision HDR visuals to offer superior contrasts and brighter, more accurate colors. Best of all, the contrasts are optimized across localized zones to make clear contrasts between bright and dark areas—a quality that some 4K TVs can miss.
Moreover, this TCL TV offers an impressive 4K resolution to showcase stunning details and offer a remarkable visual experience. And the brand’s AiPQ Engine optimizes colors and contrasts to provide stunning clarity to every shot.
But our favorite feature of this TV is the Auto Game Mode. This allows for excellent responsiveness, aside from just crystal-clear images. Using this mode, you’ll experience smooth action, low latency, and the best image quality possible for gaming. And these settings are preset, so you don’t need to input them when gaming.
TCL 5-Series QLED TV
Xiaomi TV Master 65-Inch OLED TV
The Xiaomi TV Master 65-Inch OLED TV has a refresh rate of 120 Hz features a 4K OLED screen, along with Dolby Vision and HDR10. Moreover, its peak brightness of 1,000 nuts covers 98.5% DCI-P3 color gamut, producing impressive colors that you’ve probably not experienced in gaming before.
And this display has nearly 1.07 billion colors that are beyond the human eye recognizable spectrum. This, combined with an LED display, illuminates colors and creates exceptional contrasts.
In addition, this Xiaomi TV features built-in 65W speakers, 2 x 10W surround channels, and a 20W subwoofer. As a result, you’ll hear every sound clearly as the action is happening. And the TV also features three HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB ports, and ethernet ports for increased connectivity. Although it’s also compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports Wi-Fi for wireless usage.
Xiaomi TV Master 65-Inch OLED TV
LG OLED 48CX 4K Ultra HD TV
The LG OLED 48CX 4K Ultra HD TV lets you explore better visuals and can authentically upscale lower resolution content up to 8.3 million pixels. It also boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate for a swift response, so you can be at the top of your game.
Furthermore, the 1 ms response time limits any delays, so nothing can hold you back when you’re in gaming mode. And designed with OLED Motion, this technology provides smooth transitions between clips with less stuttering. Therefore, you’ll see every action before your eyes and never miss a moment when it’s time to attack your enemy. This gaming TV also uses OLED technology to deliver millions of self-lit pixels for consistent details that you could only imagine experiencing at a cinema.
LG OLED 48CX 4K Ultra HD TV
Sony XH81 4K TV Series
The Sony XH81 4K TV Series is available in four sizes: 43, 49, 55, and 65 inches, but the 55- and 65-inch 4K TVs are the only ones that feature direct LED lighting. But whichever TV you buy, they feature an X-Balanced speaker to power a clear and enhanced sound when playing games, but you can also use the TV for watching movies or listening to music.
Furthermore, it has a narrow bezel that creates a refined look to blend into any home setup. The TV also produces a wide color spectrum that analyzes and processes data with every image to produce natural and precise pictures—even when you’re close up to the screen.
Enjoy fast-action games, thanks to the Motionflow technology that keeps movements smooth and clear between images and black segments between scenes. This feature results in reduces blurs, creating more flowing motions.
SonyXH814K TV series
Should you choose a monitor or TV for gaming?
Console gaming has been summoned to the living room, but PC gaming has been around for a while. So should you choose a new monitor or TV for gaming? To answer this question, we’ll be exploring some of the key considerations between both devices.
Image quality
There’s no doubt that image quality is probably one of the most important factors when choosing a gaming TV or monitor. In a nutshell, TVs have more focus on an improved viewing experience compared to gaming monitors. In particular, High dynamic range (HDR) screens give you more brightness and contrasts along with more intense colors.
And for achieving really high contrasts, gaming TVs feature HDR capability, which HDR monitors don’t support. Plus, if the monitor is capable of reaching 600 nits of brightness, it won’t be able to offer true HDR rending like a 4K TV can.
Viewing distance
Most of the time, you want a gaming TV with a large size. This allows you to take a step back from the TV while still feeling like you’re right in the heart of the action. On the other hand, monitors are available in much smaller sizes, so you may need to play games sat at your desk or on the end of your bed, which isn’t the most comfortable position for hours of gaming.
In addition, TVs are available with various designs, including curved, which allows you to view the scenes clearly from all positions in the room. Gaming monitors have yet to offer viewing angles and sizes as large as 4K TVs.
Response time
Response time is important in gaming, because it provides smooth camera movement as opposed to motion blurs. Imagine you’re about to shoot someone from a distance in a game and their shadow suddenly because blurry. That’s going to massively affect your aim and probably result in losing the target. Gaming monitors have a typical response time of 1–4 ms, whereas TVs are typically 4–8 ms, although there are some exceptions if you increase your budget.
Final thoughts
When considering which of the best 4K 120 Hz TVs to choose, ensure that you have a budget in mind to narrow down your findings. And the main aspects to bear in mind are image quality, refresh rate, and latency. Any other accessories—such as voice assistant and automatic Game mode—are optional.
Which of the above TVs caught your eye? Share your favorites, or any other recommendations, in the comments.
