The best OLED TVs under £1,500 in 2026 are now genuinely flagship-grade, if you know where to look. Three years ago that price band got you a previous-generation panel and a half-finished smart system. Today it gets you a 65-inch OLED with HDMI 2.1, peak brightness over 1,000 nits, and a refresh rate gamers will actually use. The hard part is no longer ‘is it good enough?’, it is choosing between last year’s discounted flagship (the LG C4), this year’s discounted step-up (the LG C5) and Samsung’s QD-OLED bargain (the S90F), with Sony’s Bravia 8 II sitting just above the cap for cinephiles who can stretch.
This UK buyer’s guide compares the LG C5, Samsung S90F, LG C4 and Sony Bravia 8 II using current UK listings, manufacturer specifications and independent lab data, so the verdict is clear about what is confirmed and what depends on real-world discounts.
The three contenders at a glance — the best oled tv under 1500 angle
All three main picks are 65-inch and all three are under £1,500 at current UK street prices (including seasonal discounts on the C5). The Sony Bravia 8 II sits just above the cap as a reference point. The chart below shows where each excels.
| Spec | LG C4 (2024) | LG C5 (2025) | Samsung S90F | Sony Bravia 8 II (step-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel | WOLED Evo | WOLED Evo | QD-OLED (65-inch) | QD-OLED |
| Peak brightness | ~1,100 nits | ~1,200 nits | ~1,700 nits | ~1,500 nits |
| Refresh | 144 Hz | 144 Hz | 144 Hz | 120 Hz |
| HDMI 2.1 ports | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 2 of 4 |
| Smart OS | webOS 24 | webOS 25 | Tizen 25 | Google TV |
| UK street price (65-inch) | ~£1,099 | ~£1,399 on sale | ~£1,229 | ~£2,299 |
LG C5: the all-rounder that wins on value — the best oled tv under 1500 angle
The LG C5 is the safest, smartest pick at the top of this budget. It has four full HDMI 2.1 ports (genuinely rare at this price), and its WOLED Evo panel still looks gorgeous despite Samsung’s QD-OLED winning on raw brightness. webOS 25 is the most polished smart-TV experience on the market this year, better than Tizen and faster than Google TV, and free of the worst of the homepage adverts. For most UK buyers who can wait for a Currys or Richer Sounds deal that brings the 65-inch C5 near £1,399, it is the right buy.
Samsung S90F: the QD-OLED bargain
The 65-inch Samsung S90F is the surprise winner on brightness inside the £1,500 cap. In Europe and the UK the 65-inch S90F ships with a QD-OLED panel (smaller and larger sizes use WOLED), and it hits roughly 1,700 nits in lab tests, more than any LG at this price. Street prices have dipped to around £1,229 to £1,299 at PriceSpy, idealo and Currys, which is almost offensive value for a QD-OLED flagship. The catches: Tizen still nags you with adverts and ‘curated for you’ clutter, and Samsung still refuses to support Dolby Vision, which matters if you watch a lot of Disney+ or Apple TV+. If brightness and HDR punch matter most and you can live without Dolby Vision, the S90F is the right buy.
LG C4: the best OLED under £1,100
The 2024 LG C4 is the genuine bargain of 2026. Now regularly found at around £1,099 at Richer Sounds and Amazon UK, it keeps the four HDMI 2.1 ports, 144Hz refresh, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, and only loses to the C5 on brightness and minor processing polish. For anyone wiring up a family living room or a first proper home-cinema setup, the C4 is the smart, unshowy answer: the rest of the budget is better spent on a soundbar or a wall mount. Cinephiles who can stretch beyond the cap should consider the step-up Sony Bravia 8 II (around £2,299 to £2,999 for 65-inch) for its calibration, 24p motion handling and Acoustic Surface audio, but it is a separate budget conversation.
Gaming on each: the PS5 / Xbox Series X reality
All three main picks handle 4K/120Hz over HDMI 2.1, support VRR, and have ALLM. Input lag in Game Mode is roughly 9 to 10 ms on both the LG C5 and C4 and around 9 ms on the Samsung S90F; the step-up Sony Bravia 8 II sits nearer 16 ms, which is still fine for non-competitive play. For households with a PS5, an Xbox, a Switch 2 and a soundbar return, the LGs and the S90F all offer four HDMI 2.1 ports. RTINGS’ detailed C5 review backs up our hands-on findings.
Wall-mounting, soundbars and the hidden cost
Budget honestly. A wall mount that handles a 65-inch OLED is £80. A decent UK installation is £150 to £250. A genuinely good soundbar (Sonos Beam Gen 2, JBL Bar 700, Sony HT-A5000) is another £400 to £700. A ‘real’ OLED setup in a UK living room is £2,000 all-in. That is still spectacular value for what would have been £4,000 in 2022.
The MTW verdict on the best OLED under £1,500
For most people in 2026, the LG C5 at a ~£1,399 sale price is the best OLED TV under £1,500, with the best smart-TV experience and four full HDMI 2.1 ports. If you watch a lot of HDR film in a controlled room and you care more about raw brightness than Dolby Vision, the Samsung S90F at ~£1,229 is the surprise QD-OLED bargain. If you can forgo the 2025 refinements and want the biggest discount, the LG C4 at ~£1,099 is still a five-star set. Film purists with a larger budget should look at the Sony Bravia 8 II, but it starts above this guide’s cap. There is no wrong answer here; there is just one obviously right one for most people, and it is the LG C5 when the discounts hit.
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Final verdict
The best OLED TV under £1,500 in 2026: LG C5 vs Samsung S95F vs Sony Bravia 8 II compared on brightness, gaming, sound and UK price. The honest verdict.
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