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Televisions have come a long way from the clunky boxes, found in the corner of every living room. Now many are wall-mounted like works of art, some even hanging over fireplaces. Each new step in technology brings television more seamlessly into our homes and our lives. Among these innovations is the voice automation brought on by things like Alexa. But which TV should you buy if you want to pair your smart TV with this smart home companion? There are several factors to take into consideration when making such a choice. Let’s have a look at some of the best TVs that work with Alexa.
We’ve narrowed it down to our five top choices and here they are
- Best overall: Samsung TU-8000 Crystal UHD 4K
- Best budget option: Samsung QLED class FRAME FHD TV
- Most compatible with Alexa: LG C2 OLED TV
- Best picture clarity: Samsung Class Crystal 4K TV
- Best sound: Insignia Class F30 Fire TV
Best Overall Alexa TV: Samsung QN95B 4K TV
The only QLED on the list, the Samsung QN95B 4K TV is powerfully bright making it perfect for gaming, watching sports, or even just standing out in a bright room. Oftentimes overall brightness comes at the expense of depth and gradations of luminance, but not so with the Samsung QN95B. The picture on this screen manages to be luminous without sacrificing richness or complexity. Color accuracy and reproduction are strengths of this model as well. Its upscaling ability, for both HD and SD content, is second to none, being powered by the Neural Quantum Processor 4K. Lag times are also low, making this model particularly appealing to gamers.
The minimalistic design of the remote makes it easy to use, particularly if you are mostly interested in utilizing Alexa’s voice command abilities. Bonus points to the remote as it can be charged, either via USB or via the tiny solar panel built into its housing. No more frustration when the batteries run out. Samsung seems to be innovating with this model. That fact, combined with the unbeatable picture that retains its quality across all genres, makes the QN95B our pick for best overall.
- QLED display for great color accuracy
- Comes with a 4K neural quantum processor
- Next-generation apps and lots of enhancements with this Smart TV
- Remote can also be charged with tiny solar panel
Best Budget Alexa TV: Insignia Class F30 Series Smart TV
Straight out of the box, the picture of this TV may leave you unimpressed, but with a few manual adjustments, it can get a picture that rivals some of its more expensive counterparts. This QLED screen achieves upper levels of brightness while preserving quality color accuracy. The blacks are also surprisingly good for the price point.
One of the best things about this budget TV is that it comes with Amazon Fire pre-installed, making it easier to access and use Alexa. It also has a really cool “art mode” feature that digitally displays a work of art and makes it look as though it were a picture on your wall. In fact, this model’s housing is intentionally designed to look like a picture frame. Seamless integration into your home. Isn’t that what smart technology is supposed to be all about?
- Amazon Fire pre-installed
- Comes with an “art mode” feature for when you are not using the tv
- Features Dolby Atmos built-in
- Anti-Reflection technology for clear display
Most Compatible With Alexa: LG C2 OLED TV
LG’s evo OLED panel gives the type of clarity and versatility that allows this to be the center of your Alexa-run smart home. The intuitive interface allows easy access to streaming services. Alexa comes included in this model, and there is even a button to access Alexa on the remote. Just like all other LG TVs, the C2 comes with webOS 22 as a standard feature. This interface assembles the content from across the user’s various apps and presents them on an easy-to-navigate home page.
When not in use, the LG C2 defaults to what LG calls their “TV Always Ready” tool. This atmospheric setting has the ability to display photos or even turn into a music player. This model’s ability to allow the user to transition seamlessly from watching their favorite series to background music all through the magic of voice automation is why it gets our pick for most compatible with Alexa.
- Great contrast, deep blacks, and over a billion colors
- 8 million self-lit OLED pixels
- α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K, exclusive to LG, intuitively adapts to what you're watching
- Filmmaker Mode, Dolby Vision IQ, and Dolby Atmos
- LG Game Optimizer mode with NVIDIA G-SYNC, FreeSync Premium, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
Best Alexa TV For Picture Clarity: Samsung Class Crystal 4K TV
When looking at TVs that work with Alexa, this one might have the clearest, most crisp picture. In addition to dynamic crystal color, this Samsung 4K has a feature that decreases blur and augments motion clarity. Samsung’s Motion Xcelerator feature also perfectly displays fast-moving actions, reducing motion blur and heightening clarity, making this one ideal for gamers and sports lovers. This model’s black uniformity and contrast ratio are also a cut above the competitors, making it ideal for watching movies as well. It should be noted that this model isn’t nearly as bright as its sister, the QN95B, though if enjoyed in a relatively dark room, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
- Very clear and crisp picture
- Features Samsung’s motion xcelerator to display fast-moving actions perfectly
- Comes with voice-assistants built-in
- Ultra-thin sleek design
Best Alexa TV For Sound: Insignia Class F30 Fire TV
If you’re looking for a TV that might cut out the need to purchase a separate sound bar, this one could be for you. This model has sound with an audio enhancement suite from Beats by Dre. If at some point you decide to upgrade your audio setup, this model includes an ARC (audio return channel) port which will make installation of a sound bar incredibly easy. The Insignia F30 also supports Bluetooth which makes listening on wireless headphones a snap. It also has a 3.5mm port for your old-fashioned wired headphones, if that’s more your speed. As if all that weren’t enough, the Insignia F30 also has the ability to support Dolby Audio.
Sound aside, this is a Fire TV. Alexa is included and integrated seamlessly, making Amazon prime entertainment front and center. Naturally, much like on a Fire TV Stick, other apps can be added as the user desires. The user must log in to their Amazon Prime account to get the full Alexa experience including voice activation and smart home integration. The remote control and the interface should be familiar to anyone who has used a Fire TV Stick before.
- No need for a separate soundbar
- Supports Bluetooth for easy listening on headphones
- Comes with Alexa pre-installed
- Fire TV give access to thousands of shows
How to Pick the Best Alexa TV: Step by Step
When choosing a smart TV there are three main considerations for most buyers:
- Price
- Size
- Picture quality
Price
Price is obviously a factor in any purchase decision, but doubly so for a big purchase like a TV. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to think of handing over a large lump sum of money, only to have your new entertainment center’s focal point be sub-par, too rapidly obsolete, or worst of all a lemon. On the other hand, no one wants to overpay for features they don’t need, that don’t really make a difference. So, it’s a good idea is to have a budget in mind before you start and find a TV with the features that are most important to you within that budget.
Size
Size is one of the major factors that will determine the cost. How big is too big? Well, I’ve never personally met anyone who regretted buying a big TV. I have met several where the opposite is the problem, though. Be honest with yourself: how big is your space and how much TV do you need to fill it? You want something that will look great to those guests in the back of the room during a Super Bowl party, and equally great on a casual, low-key evening with Netflix.
Picture Quality
Many factors go into a great picture on your TV: saturation, contrast, and brightness, but many of those features are negligible from set to set, or rather they are dependent on other factors that we will focus on. The big three in terms of picture quality: are resolution, color, and whether to get an OLED or a QLED.
Resolution
If you are purchasing a new TV it’s probably best to make sure it is 4K HDR compatible. 4K is where the market is going, and purchasing a TV that can accommodate that high-end resolution gives your set a bit of leeway in terms of “future-proofing,” which basically means that your set has a lower chance of becoming obsolete in the next few years.
If you’re old-school and still like to watch your DVD and Blu-ray collection, worry not. 4K screens tend to be reverse compatible with lower resolutions. And in fact, most 4K systems can upscale your old media and make it look crisper than ever before.
OLED vs QLED
These may seem like confusing terms, but they just mean that the diodes that are omitting the light to make up the screen. OLED is an acronym for “organic light-emitting diode.” Whereas QLED is a technology that started as a Samsung feature but has since begun to be utilized by other brands. So which one is better? Well, OLED has a better black level and contrast, whereas QLED is brighter overall. This could be a matter of preference, driven by the content you watch the most. Do you watch a lot of sports? The bright images from a QLED might be for you. Whereas if you watch more movies, the contrast of an OLED might give you a better picture.
Color
Getting a 4K HDR-compatible TV will ensure that your screen produces the best color. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and can replicate colors closest to what our naked eye sees in the natural world.
What To Know Before Buying
When looking at TVs that work with Alexa, it’s good to remember that not all smart TVs are compatible. So make sure the model you are looking at is before making the purchase. The easiest way to ensure this is to buy a TV with Alexa already installed. Alexa can work with just about any smart TV if you use an Amazon Fire Stick or the versatile Amazon Fire Cube, but that is an extra cost on top of the TV, so factor that into your decision.
Using an Alexa TV: What It’s Like
Alexa has turned a lot of homes into smart homes. More than voice activation, smart devices have changed the way we interact with the technology we use every day, including our televisions.
For a long time, sci-fi writers and futurists have speculated on the kinds of convenience technology would bring. Voice-controlled home automation like Alexa is exactly the kind of thing they imagined. This is why smart speakers can be found in roughly 35% of households and growing.
An Alexa-compatible smart TV, when paired with an Amazon Echo, can enable voice commands to control things like volume, channel changing, switching between inputs, or switching between different TV settings. Have that cinema look for the movie you’re watching in the afternoon, and quickly change it to your crisp, sports settings when the gang comes over to watch the game that night. You can even switch between shows, movies, or games, or even change it up completely by putting on some music, all without having to fumble around to find the remote. Whether entertaining or just a quiet evening in, voice automation from things like Alexa is a life-changing convenience.
The Amazon Echo can also be used to control other smart home accessories you might have. You could bring up your doorbell cam on your TV, to see when your guests arrive or dim the lights when it’s movie time.
- SAMSUNG 55-Inch Class Crystal UHD TU-8000 Series
- QLED display for great color accuracy
- Comes with a 4K neural quantum processor
- Next-generation apps and lots of enhancements with this Smart TV
- Remote can also be charged with tiny solar panel
- SAMSUNG 85-Inch Class Neo QLED 4K Smart TV with Alexa Built-In
- Amazon Fire pre-installed
- Comes with an “art mode” feature for when you are not using the tv
- Features Dolby Atmos built-in
- Anti-Reflection technology for clear display
- LG C2 Series 65-Inch Class OLED evo Gallery Edition Smart TV OLED65C2PUA, 2022 – AI-Powered 4K, Alexa Built-in
- Great contrast, deep blacks, and over a billion colors
- 8 million self-lit OLED pixels
- α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K, exclusive to LG, intuitively adapts to what you're watching
- Filmmaker Mode, Dolby Vision IQ, and Dolby Atmos
- LG Game Optimizer mode with NVIDIA G-SYNC, FreeSync Premium, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
- SAMSUNG 43-Inch Class Crystal 4K UHD AU8000 Series HDRSmart TV with Alexa Built-In
- Very clear and crisp picture
- Features Samsung’s motion xcelerator to display fast-moving actions perfectly
- Comes with voice-assistants built-in
- Ultra-thin sleek design
- INSIGNIA 50-inch Class F30 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV
- No need for a separate soundbar
- Supports Bluetooth for easy listening on headphones
- Comes with Alexa pre-installed
- Fire TV give access to thousands of shows
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We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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