Google TV has been around for a minute, and because the platform isn’t exclusive to one TV brand, this means you’ll have plenty of options. Google TV also works similarly and consistently from one TV brand to the next, with features like recommended content, Chromecast, and Google Assistant being mainstays. Where models do tend to differ though is with elements such as picture quality, motion capabilities, and overall performance. Not to worry, though: We’re here to help you dive through the haystack!
All the TVs on our list are backboned by the Google TV operating system, and there's a reason people love it. The stable and robust OS connects you to all your favorite TV shows and movies through the best streaming services from Netflix and Hulu to Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Google TV also pays attention to your viewing habits, and will curate a home screen packed with content that aligns with the kinds of genres you love most. Let's get started.
The best Google TV most people should get
Hisense 65-inch U8N
- Intense brightness
- Deep blacks/contrast
- Vibrant, accurate color
- Great sound
- Overly bright HDR
- Poor off-angle viewing
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 55, 65, 75, 85, 100 inches |
| TV type | Mini-LED |
| HDR support | HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm |
Hisense TVs have continued to push the envelope on performance and affordability for years now, and the U8N is arguably its pinnacle. It rivals top-tier, flagship TVs of the bigger name brands and yet manages to get within grasping distance of their picture quality. It can even beat the big boys in brightness sometimes, making this a stellar Google TV for living room viewing.
When watching both HDR and SDR content, we were simply blown away by the astronomical brightness levels the U8N reached. We expect solid LED backlighting from a QLED, but this TV is cresting 2,000 nits and with hundreds and hundreds of local dimming zones, there's almost zero blooming, even on high contrast scenes. It's not OLED, but it's about as close as you can get in 2025.
It's great for gaming, too, with a fast response time and low input lag, as well as a high refresh rate. There is some image degradation at extreme angles, but it's not that noticeable.
And of course, the U8N wouldn’t even be in this roundup if it wasn’t rocking the awesome Google TV OS. Although the UI could do with a couple of navigation tweaks, the platform’s web-connected elements make for one of the algorithmically strong streaming experiences you’ll ever have.
The best TCL Google TV
TCL QM8 mini-LED
- Stunning HDR performance
- Class-leading brightness
- Excellent black levels
- Virtually no detectable blooming
- Very good color saturation/brightness
- Some motion artifacts
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 65, 75, 86, 98 inches |
| TV type | Mini-LED |
| HDR support | HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm |
One of the key themes for TVs the past few years, has been high brightness, and so far few can come anywhere close to TCL's ridiculously bright and vivid QM8 mini-LED QLED. TCL has been tearing things up in the TV world and has put out some legit contenders to heavy hitters LG, Samsung, and Sony, making many take a much closer look at the Chinese company for its high quality and much more reasonable price. With its price, features, and performance, everyone considering a new TV should look at the QM8 as it could possibly be the best TV that TCL has ever made.
As part of TCL's flagship newest Q class TVs, the 2024 QM8, as expected, runs on the Google TV OS (or else you wouldn't be here). But what we weren't expecting was the 2,500 nits of peak brightness in HDR mode that this TV measured out during our full review. This thing is blazingly bright, which means you won't have any problems watching it in a sun-drenched room. The black levels on the QM8 are impressive, too, and with Dolby Vision, IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG support, contrast performs well with excellent local dimming, and while it doesn't quite hit OLED's rich blacks in darker rooms, for the price and quality you may wonder why anyone would spend more for that tech. Our review also revealed some stunning and accurate color balance and brightness, too, even out of the box with no calibration.
Gamers will love the QM8, too, as two of its four HDMI inputs (two HDMI 2.1 and two HDMI 2.0) have support for 144Hz refresh rate and VRR (separate from the eARC port, too), as well as support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and there's even a dedicated gaming mode.
Premium Sony option
Sony Bravia 9
- Super-clean picture
- Deep blacks, minimal blooming
- Excellent contrast
- Searing HDR highlights
- Excellent motion handling
- Backlight fluctuations visible in dark rooms
- Very expensive
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 65, 75, 85 inches |
| TV type | Mini-LED |
| HDR support | HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical |
The Sony Bravia 9 is one of the most impressive TVs ever made, which is a high bar to hit considering it's standing on the shoulders of giants in previous Sony TVs. The Bravia 9 brings incredible brightness to the table in ways we've not seen before and pairs it with amazing contrast for a mini-LED TV, that gives this a real OLED-like vibe.
Unlike OLED, though, you don't need to worry about burn-in on this TV, and yet is is still super fast and responsive, and the onboard Sony processor is one of the best in the business when it comes to upscaling older and lower-resolution content. It can dynamically adjust brightness and color too, really making older movies and home videos pop.
It's fantastically responsive for gaming, too, with all the bandwidth you need on HDMI 2.1 connections for a couple of high-end gaming systems. It is expensive, but this is a flagship TV -- you get what you pay for. Incredible quality and an incredible picture, with a fast and responsive Google TV operating system to boot.
A cheaper alternative to the QM8
TCL QM7 QLED
- Sky high brightness
- More affordable than QM8
- Great HDR support
- Some image degradation at extreme angles
- Lacks the picture quality of higher-end TVs
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 55, 65, 77 inches |
| TV type | QLED |
| HDR support | HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm |
Continuing our tradition of spotlighting both a brand’s flagship Google TV and the runner-up, we have the amazing TCL QM7. The budget-friendly QM7 is available in 55, 65, and 75-inch sizes. Two of the four HDMI ports are 2.1 inputs that can deliver 4K at up to 144Hz, as well as 1080p at up to 240Hz. Considering you’ll save a few bucks when going with the QM7 over the QM8, what exactly are you losing from one model to the other?
First and foremost, the out-of-the-box picture quality isn't on par with the QM8. Now, if you’re not going to be using the QM7 for anything more than Netflix and Hulu once in a while, this may not be such a big deal. If you're more looking to watch a lot of local UHD HDR Blu-rays, the difference is more noticeable, so if you can afford the higher-end option and you think you might notice, definitely consider it.
The simple answer is that this TCL QLED still delivers a bright enough picture for most folks, its contrast levels are pretty impressive, and the color accuracy is good for the price. This is especially prevalent when viewing HDR content, where every hue feels rich and shines bright. It's just not quite as good.
It’s not a perfect QLED, but the TCL QM7 is still a terrific Google TV with multiple size options, competitive pricing, and great gaming performance.
The best OLED Google TV
Sony Bravia XR A95L QD-OLED
- Outstanding color accuracy and brightness
- Excellent contrast and luminance
- Great sound
- Gorgeous game mode picture quality
- Incredibly good upscaling
- Some deep features not available at launch
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 55, 65, 77 inches |
| TV type | QD-OLED |
| HDR support | HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical |
This is one of the best consumer TVs to offer QD-OLED technology, fighting off serious competition from Samsung's flagship TVs with their Tizen operating system. This 65-inch Bravia A95L TV also works very well with Google TV, running the platform effortlessly. HDR10 and Dolby Vision are both included to complement the 4K resolution, and gamers will be pleased to see the 120Hz refresh rate. There’s even an included Bravia cam that can be uncovered to make video chats and – potentially – optimize the TV for gesture controls and the most popular spots in your living room.
There’s a lot to be excited about for this QD-OLED upgrade, which also includes four HDMI ports and gaming features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). It has the same infinite contrast ratio of other OLED TVs, but with the punchier color of quantum dots, delivering a fantastic overall picture that makes this one of the best OLED TVs you can buy, whatever operating system they have.
The Hisense runner-up
Hisense U7N mini-LED QLED
- High brightness
- Great contrast
- Vivid color
- Surprising accuracy
- Great for gaming
- Poor off-angle viewing
- Risk of dirty screen effect
| Specification: | |
| Screen sizes available | 55, 65, 75, 85 inches |
| TV type | Mini-LED |
| HDR support | HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0, USB-A, Ethernet, optical |
You don't need to buy Hisense's best Google TV, to get an amazing Hisense Google TV. Just one rung down the ladder, the U7N is a fantastic alternative that comes with many of the same bells and whistles that makes the U8N so good. The Q7N is a powerful QLED TV that delivers a vibrant and colorful picture when viewing HDR and SDR content.
Like the U8N, you get a bright picture with impressive contrast, great color accuracy out the box, and it's fast for gaming. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, fast response time, and low input lag, as well as multiple HDMI 2.1 ports for high-end games consoles. It does have the standard QLED issue of slightly worse image quality when viewing off-angle, but it's not egregious.
Available from 55 to 85 inches, the U7N runs the Google TV OS for all things smart and navigational. And compared to the higher-priced U8N, the web-connected experience is just as solid. It’s also great to kick back and fire off Google Assistant voice commands through your TV remote, allowing you to control smart home devices like lights, locks, and thermostats without leaving the couch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Google is only partnering with some companies for its TV services and has only rolled out Google TV upgrades to some of those brands. Most Google TVs are Sony and TCL models at this time, with Hisense bringing the Google TV platform to its 2022 ULED TVs last year.
Note that this doesn't mean all Sony and TCL TVs will have Google TV. In fact, many TCL models are outfitted with Roku TV, so it's important to check when buying.
No. This is a smart TV platform that's free to use. However, if you download any services on it like HBO or Netflix, you will have to pay those subscription fees to stream from them.
Google actually brought Google TV to Chromecast first, and even called its latest model "Chromecast with Google TV" to clear up any confusion. However, Chromecast remains a separate dongle that you hook up to your TV, while Google TV can also be built into a TV itself.
Note that the Chromecast version of Google TV may be a bit different from other built-in versions in regards to layout and features offered.
Google TV is the updated version of Android TV with a new layout, more AI tech for recommendations, and a few other changes. For a more detailed explanation, check out our explainer on the differences between Google TV and Android TV.
Currently, Google is maintaining both Android TV and Google TV. But the goal is to phase out Android TV entirely. Some existing Android TVs will be updated to Google TV, but this isn't always possible, especially with older models.
