Best 4K Ultra HD TVs for the Xbox Series X and Series S – Upgrade your gaming hub now

If you’ve managed to get your hands on one of the next-gen consoles – be that the Sony PlayStation 5 or the Microsoft Xbox Series X, we won’t judge either way – you’ll want to ramp up your gaming hub to squeeze all the quality out of your favourite games.

While you could buy a new gaming headset, one of Microsoft’s Elite controllers, or an external hard drive to house all your games, we think one of the biggest upgrades you can make is to your telly.

Related: The best 4K TV deals in the UK 2021

The problem? There are far too many TVs to choose from, and it can all be rather confusing as to which one is actually right for you.

With high dynamic range (HDR), 4K resolution, refresh rates, sizes, prices and a wide variety of brands to sift through, we wouldn't be surprised if you've got a headache just thinking about it.

But don't worry, as we've found what we think to be the best 4K TVs available to get the most out of your Xbox Series X.

4K Resolution

The new consoles bring in a significant upgrade to how your games look, with most titles now displaying in 4K resolution. The original Xbox One used to be capable of Full HD images (1920 x 1080), which refers to how many pixels are active on the screen.

These TVs will no longer cut it if you want to get the full experience and, while you can play your games console on these lower-quality TVs, your games just won’t look as good as they could do.

Now, we get the full force of 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) and any TVs with this tag on will be able to show off your next-gen titles in all their glory.

What size 4K TV should I get?

Unfortunately in the world of TVs, size does matter, so you'll have to figure out what you can fit into your set up, and if you really do need the bigger screen size. You'll see TVs broken down into inch sizes, ranging anywhere between 39 and 100 inches.

This is the measurement between opposite corners of the screen, so you might have to make some measurements to guarantee it fits. Most bedroom TVs are between 40 and 55 inches (which just happens to be the most popular size in the UK) and are usually pretty reasonably priced so are great for bargain hunters.

Related: Best 4K Ultra HD TVs for the PlayStation 5

If you’re looking for the true cinema experience in your living room, then you’ll want to go for 65 inches or more. These might be curved or come with 3D capabilities and come with a much higher price tag.

Refresh rate for Xbox Series X

One of the big new features on the new consoles is an enhanced refresh rate for some games, making them look extra silky-smooth. The previous generation of Xbox delivered up to 60 frames per second (FPS), but the Series X and Series S can potentially double this frame rate to 120FPS. This basically means that your games will run much smoother on the screen, improving the sense of realism from the screen.

The faster frame rate is important if you play competitive games like Apex Legends or Call of Duty: Warzone, as you’ll be able to see more frames each second, gaining more visual info in each passing moment and potentially get the jump on your opponent.

However, the Xbox needs to communicate that frame rate with your TV's refresh rate, which is how often the device refreshes the images on-screen.

Most TVs have 60Hz, which used to be the old standard, meaning it can cope with up to 60 FPS. But now, the Xbox Series X will need a TV that has at least 120Hz or upwards to see the full benefits of the next generation. Some brands will have different marketing names for this (TruMotion, X-Motion), but we have done the research to give you the true refresh rate so you know you’re getting the best quality. The rule of thumb is to check to see if TVs have what’s called variable refresh rate.

What about HDR?

You'll often see a stat on TVs called HDR (high dynamic range), which is all about the colour reproduction. This spec is often displayed as something like HDR10, HLG, or HDR+ so look out for those tags when doing your research, though all the TVs below will offer HDR capabilities.

You’ll want to make sure you have this feature if you want your games to look as good as possible, as your TV will draw more colour from each image, with blacks looking darker and brighter colours popping from the screen. If you like to play expansive single-player games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Ori and the Will of the Wisps, ensure your TV can deliver the best colour range to get the most out of them.

Input lag

Competitive gamers need to pay attention to the TVs input lag, or latency, which is the amount of time it takes for a button press to register on your TV. It actually takes a bit of time for your character on screen to respond to your commands, though it is only milliseconds, so you’ll want a TV that can reduce that time as much as possible.

The TVs on this list range anywhere between 10 and 30ms input lag, which is fast enough to get a competitive edge on your opponents online. Anything above 60ms is far too slow, so avoid those if you can. Some TVs will come with dedicated "gaming modes" that lower the resolution settings to reduce your input latency to give you the perfect competitive experience.

But now we've gone through all that, check out our top picks of the best 4K TVs to partner up your new Xbox Series X or Series S.

OLED vs QLED

Most modern 4K TVs will be either OLED or QLED, which relates to how the display itself is lit. QLEDs (quantum dot light-emitting diodes) are typically Samsung’s domain, and a number of dots that are brightened by an LED or LCD backlight. This means the image overall will be brighter and you’ll be able to see the pixels a little clearer, but colours might bleed into each other slightly.

OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) will have millions of tiny lights that will brighten up individual pixels, which will give you better definition between colours, with richer tones and deeper blacks. The war between the two types will rage for eternity, but in all honesty, they largely offer similar quality when playing games.