OLED TV Buying Guide 2026
Buying a television is something most of us do about once every eight years, which means nobody gets much practice at it. This guide is the conversation we'd have with you on the shop floor: what actually matters, what doesn't, and how to land on the right OLED without second-guessing yourself afterwards.
Work through it in order and you'll have your answer by the end.
Step 1: Answer three questions first
Before you look at a single model, settle these. Everything else follows from them.
- How far is your sofa from the wall? Go and measure it. This decides your screen size, and screen size matters more than any spec on the box.
- How bright is the room? A south-facing conservatory is a different problem from a sitting room with curtains drawn at eight o'clock.
- What do you watch most? Films and box sets, sport, or gaming. Each pulls you gently in a different direction.
Step 2: Understand the jargon (it's simpler than it looks)
Shops throw a lot of words at you. Here's what's worth knowing and what you can safely ignore.
- OLED — every pixel makes its own light and switches off completely for black. That's why blacks look genuinely black and there's no glow around bright objects.
- QLED / Neo QLED — a backlight shines through a filter. Gets brighter than OLED, but blacks lift slightly in a dark room.
- 4K — the resolution. Every TV in this guide has it. Don't pay attention to 8K yet; there's almost nothing to watch on it.
- 165Hz — how many times per second the picture refreshes. Matters for PC gaming. Consoles don't need it.
- The energy label (E, F, G) — looks alarming, isn't. The EU reset the scale so that almost no television earns an A. See the running costs section below.
What you can ignore: contrast ratio claims, "AI" branding on picture modes, and anything about the number of dimming zones on an OLED (it has one per pixel, which is the whole point).
Step 3: Choose your size
In twenty years of selling televisions we've lost count of the customers who came back wishing they'd gone bigger. We've almost never had the opposite conversation. Because 4K packs the pixels in so tightly, you can sit far closer than you could with an old HD set without the picture breaking up.
Measure from the front of your sofa to the wall, then:
- Under 2.2m — a 42" or 48" OLED. Ideal for a bedroom, a snug, or a desk setup.
- 2.2m to 2.8m — the 51–59 inch range. This is where most Irish sitting rooms land, and it's comfortably our most popular size. If you're genuinely unsure, buy 55 inches.
- 2.8m to 3.3m — 65 inches. At three metres this is properly cinematic.
- Over 3.3m — you have room for 70 inches and up, and you should use it.
Check the furniture too. A 65-inch TV is about 145cm wide. Measure your TV unit, not just the wall. If it overhangs, a wall mount solves it — and usually looks better anyway.
Step 4: Is OLED right for your room?
Honest answer: usually, but not always.
Choose OLED if you watch mostly in the evening, you care about films and drama, you game, or people sit off to the side of the screen. The black levels and the wide viewing angle are things you'll notice every single night, and they don't stop impressing you after a fortnight.
Choose a Neo QLED instead if the television lives in a bright conservatory or a room that gets direct sun all afternoon. Raw brightness wins in those conditions, and a top Neo QLED will simply cut through the glare better.
For most Irish sitting rooms — curtains, evening viewing, the match at the weekend — OLED is the better buy, and it isn't close.
Step 5: Pick your model
Four families cover nearly everything worth buying. Find the one that describes you.
"I want the safe, sensible choice" — LG OLED evo AI C6
LG's mainstream OLED and the set we recommend most often. Perfect blacks, 4K gaming at up to 165Hz, and the webOS platform with LG's AI Hub. The step up to the tier above costs a lot for a difference you'll mainly notice in a very bright room.
Free soundbar, ends 22 September 2026: buy the 42" or 55" C6 and we'll include a soundbar free. While stocks last, T&Cs apply.
"It's going on the wall and it needs to look the part" — LG OLED evo AI G6
Everything the C6 does, plus a brighter panel, a flush gallery-style wall design that sits almost flat against the plaster, and a five-year limited panel warranty. Available in 55" at €2,499.99 and 65" at €3,199.99.
"I watch a lot of sport" — Samsung S90F and S95F
Samsung's OLEDs render colour with more punch, which flatters sport and bright content. The S90F 55" at €1,199.99 is the value pick. The S95F 55" at €2,099.99 adds brightness and a separate connection box, so only one slim cable runs to the screen. Register your Samsung after purchase and the warranty extends to five years.
If you have the room, the 77" S90F at €2,549.99 is the most screen-per-euro anyone is selling this year.
"I want OLED but my budget won't stretch" — last year's models
This is where the real bargains are. A 2025 panel isn't meaningfully worse than a 2026 one — the year-to-year improvements are real but incremental, and mostly in the processing rather than the panel itself. When the new range lands, the old range gets cleared.
- LG C5 48" — €1,099.99. The cheapest way into a genuinely great OLED.
- LG G5 55" — €1,949.99. Last year's flagship gallery panel, heavily reduced.
- LG G4 65" — €2,249.99. A 65-inch flagship at a mid-range price.
Run-out models are exactly that — several of these are down to their last unit or two, so if one suits you, don't sit on it.
Step 6: The things people forget
Sound. A television this thin has nowhere to put a decent speaker, and sound is the most common regret after buying a premium set. The Samsung Ultra Slim 3.1.2ch Atmos soundbar drops from €749.99 to €399 when bought with any OLED, Frame or Neo QLED. On a tighter budget the LG 2.1 wireless soundbar is €199.99.
Mounting. The One For All tilting jumbo mount (€109.99) handles up to 75kg and tilts to kill window glare. For corner rooms or open-plan spaces, the full-motion mount at €89.99 swings out from the wall.
Your HDMI cable. An old cable is the single most common reason a brand new TV fails to hit its advertised picture mode. If yours has been behind the unit for five years, replace it.
Your questions, answered
Do OLED TVs still get burn-in?
Not in normal household use. Modern OLEDs run pixel-shifting and automatic refresh routines in the background that stop static elements leaving a mark. The risk only becomes real if you leave the same static image on screen at high brightness for many hours a day, every day — a shop window display, say. Films, sport, games and ordinary television will not damage the panel.
What will it cost me to run?
Roughly 100–150 watts in typical use, about the same as a couple of old-style light bulbs, and considerably less than the plasma sets many of these are replacing. The E, F and G energy ratings reflect a deliberately strict scale, not poor efficiency. Switching on the eco picture mode narrows the gap further.
How long will it last?
Panels are rated for tens of thousands of hours, which works out well beyond a decade of ordinary viewing. Realistically you'll want a new television for its features long before the panel gives up.
What warranty do I get?
It varies by model. The LG G6 range includes a five-year limited panel warranty, and registering a Samsung OLED, Neo OLED, Frame or Serif extends cover to five years. Check the individual product page for the set you're looking at.
Can you deliver, and can you help me set it up?
Yes to delivery — we cover the whole country, and large screens are handled with appropriate care in transit. You can also collect from our stores in Cork and Waterford. If you'd rather talk it through before you commit.
Still stuck? Here's the short version
Buy the biggest screen your room can comfortably take, then buy the best OLED that fits what's left of your budget. If you want one recommendation and no further deliberation: the LG 55" C6 at €1,799.99 is the set most people should buy, and right now it comes with a free soundbar.
Browse the full OLED TV range, or see all televisions if you'd like to compare against QLED and LED before you decide.