Lee Neikirk
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Senior Staff Writer for @wirecutter covering TVs & AV gear. ISF Level-III certified. Dad, husband, guitarist. Still playing Skyrim after all these years.
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Articles by Lee Neikirk
If You Have a Smart TV, Do You Even Need an Apple TV, Google TV, or Roku?
2 hours ago The Eufy Window Cam E10 sticks directly to the inside of a window so installation takes less than a minute. Anker announced a new indoor security camera that’s designed to watch your yard, driveway, or front porch through a window, instead of monitoring what’s inside your home. The new Anker Eufy …
The Best LCD/LED TV
Why you should trust me I cover TVs and other AV equipment for Wirecutter. I have reviewed TVs since 2012, and I have ISF Level III training and calibration certification. There are more TV stands in my house than there are people. For the latest version of this guide, I tested five 2025 TV series that meet our minimum requirements for inclusion, and I considered others that were tested by trusted sources at CNET, Rtings, and Tom’s Guide.
10 Tips for Managing (and Reducing) Your Kid’s Screen Time
We independently review everything we recommend. We may make money from the links on our site. Learn more› Kento Iida for NYT Wirecutter By Lee Neikirk Lee Neikirk has reviewed tech since 2012. He received an MS in psychology with a concentration in child development in 2021, and became a dad in 2022. Arthur C. Clarke observed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. So naturally, kids find it tantalizing.
The Best Media Streaming Devices
We independently review everything we recommend. We may make money from the links on our site. Learn more› Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter By Lee Neikirk Lee Neikirk is a writer focused on AV gear. He has tested and calibrated more than 300 displays and once gave an outdoor TV a shower. Who needs a separate streaming media player these days? You already have plenty of ways to get apps such as Netflix or Disney+ on your TV. Pretty much all modern TVs are smart TVs with streaming services baked right in.
The Best OLED TV
Why you should trust me I’m a writer at Wirecutter covering TVs and other AV equipment. I have reviewed TVs since 2012, and I have ISF Level III training and calibration certification. There are more TV stands in my house than there are people. For the latest version of this guide, I tested four new OLED TV lines from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony, and I researched many others using sources I trust, such as CNET, Rtings.com, and Tom’s Guide.
The Best TVs
Great image quality for the price: Best LCD/LED TV Top pick This high-performance LCD TV delivers a great picture at a reasonable price and is equipped with all of the advanced technologies you need. Who it’s for: An LCD/LED TV is an appropriate choice for the shopper who wants excellent picture quality but isn’t willing to spend a fortune to get the absolute best OLED TV. High-performance LCD TVs are especially well suited for very bright rooms.
The Best Art TV
Top pick This art TV offers the best combination of price and picture quality, and it also hosts the most robust art store. But it isn’t great for movie nights, and the art store has a subscription fee. The 2026 Samsung The Frame Series (LS03HE) is our top pick primarily because it does the most convincing job of transforming into a work of art on your wall. And the company has the best selection of artwork and provides the best curated art-store experience.
The Best LCD/LED TV
Higher-end LCD TVs offer better brightness, color, and contrast than their budget-oriented siblings do, and the best can almost match OLED TVs in quality — for a more tolerable price.
Your Smart TV Is Getting Slower. Here’s How to Speed It Back Up.
When you first bought your smart TV, its software — the streaming apps, user interface, and so on — probably felt pretty snappy and responsive. But if you’ve had your TV for more than a few years, I’d bet it’s starting to seem sluggish, if not downright temperamental. You click the remote to launch an app, and the TV just churns like it’s making up its mind. It’s frustrating when a once-zippy TV becomes slow or unreliable, making navigation tedious and causing streaming apps to crash.
If You Want the Best of the Best, Buy One of These TVs
OLED TVs are the best-looking TVs you can buy, capable of delivering extremely high image contrast, rich colors, smooth motion, and much better viewing angles than LCD TVs offer. They carry a higher price, but they’re a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who is truly passionate about picture quality. For most people, we recommend the LG C5 Series because it provides a great-looking picture for a more reasonable price than the competition.
How to Get Your Smart TV to Stop Spying on You
We Calculated Exactly How Much You Save Charging an EV vs. Buying Gas We did the math to find out if charging an EV is actually cheaper than buying gas. The big promise of electric vehicles is that you can finally ditch the gas station and its painful prices. But is charging your EV really cheaper than filling up, or are you just trading one bill for another? It turns …
How to Get Your Smart TV to Stop Spying on You
TV commercials used to be simple. When my brother and I watched Cartoon Network as kids, we saw ads for G.I. Joe and Barbie. When my parents watched the news, they saw ads for local furniture stores, banks, or retirement planning — you know, boring adult stuff. Back in the ’90s, that was about as targeted as TV ads got. Things are different now.
The Best TVs
Our favorite TVs deliver superior picture quality for a reasonable price. Whether it’s a big-screen 4K OLED TV that delivers the ultimate videophile performance, a great 4K TV on a budget, or a small, 32-inch HDTV for a secondary space, our recommendations always take into account both performance and value. This article provides an overview of the top picks across all of our TV guides.
These 4K TVs Deliver Great Picture Quality on a Budget
Lots of new, budget-oriented 4K TVs get released every year, and figuring out what separates the milquetoast from the magnificent can be a challenge. The truth is, in the budget realm, most TVs aren’t all that different in performance. So when one comes along that checks all the boxes for what we would want in any good 4K TV, we take notice. The TCL QM6K is that TV. It offers the same core technologies as our favorite higher-end LCD TVs but at a more budget-friendly price.
The 2 Best 32-Inch TVs of 2025
“Bigger is better” may be the television industry’s motto, but not everyone is on the hunt for a massive screen. If you’re looking for a smaller TV that’s suitable for a kitchen, dorm room, or bedroom—or if you just don’t want to spend much money—we recommend the Roku Select Series HD. None of the 32-inch TVs we tested matched the performance of our favorite premium or budget 4K TVs, but the Roku Select Series HD looks better than the competition and is easy to use.
Yes, Your TV Is Probably Spying on You. Your Fridge, Too. Here’s What They Know.
By Rachel Cericola, Jon Chase and Lee Neikirk Updated June 25, 2025 This is not a conspiracy theory: Many of the devices living in your home are quietly collecting towering heaps of information about you. Your TV, your doorbell, your security system, your thermostat, even your earbuds — all of them are involved. Some of that data may be shared, analyzed, and then sold to the highest bidder, hundreds of times a day, by organizations you’ve never heard of.
The 5 Best 40- to 49-Inch TVs of 2025
Just because you aren’t buying a huge TV doesn’t mean you should settle for less than great picture quality. If a model measuring 40 to 49 inches is the proverbial “just right” for your space, we recommend looking first at LG’s C4 Series. The 42- and 48-inch C4 OLED TVs are every bit as good as their larger counterparts, delivering wonderful picture quality for movies, TV shows, and games.
The 3 Best LCD/LED TVs of 2025
Higher-end LCD TVs offer better brightness, color, and contrast than their budget-oriented siblings do, and the best LCD TVs can almost match OLED TVs in quality—for a more tolerable price.
Here’s How to Not Mess Up Mounting Your TV on the Wall
When wall-mounting is done right, a TV looks super sleek, and mounting your TV is typically much safer than setting it on a stand, especially if you have kids. There’s no shame in paying a professional to handle your wall-mount installation, but it is a fairly straightforward project that even a modest DIYer can accomplish in about an hour.
The 3 Best Gaming TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X of 2025
When it comes to pairing with the latest video game consoles—the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X—not all TVs are created equal. The best gaming TVs take full advantage of the improved performance specs that make the newest gaming consoles worth buying: 4K resolution, HDR compatibility, high frame rates, low latency, and more.
Thinking About Buying a Really Big TV for the Super Bowl? Here’s What You Need to Know.
Every year, events such as the Super Bowl sound a clarion call in the ears of the American people, planting the germ of an idea that blooms into a powerful — nay, irresistible — urge. The urge to buy a really, really big TV. Manufacturers and retailers know this, of course. The Super Bowl–related plummeting of TV prices kicks off in mid-January, hot on the heels of all the new TVs announced during the CES trade show at the beginning of the month.
I Review TVs for a Living. These Are the Cyber Monday TV Deals That Are Actually Worth It.
Cyber Monday has historically been a great time to get good prices on electronics, especially TVs. And since a new TV is probably one of the most expensive purchases you might make this year, it’s sensible to wait until you can get a decent discount. Just keep in mind that if a Cyber Monday TV deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. The truth is that basic LCD TVs are not expensive anymore.
I Review TVs for a Living. These Are the Black Friday TV Deals That Are Actually Worth It. Original
For many people, buying a TV might be one of the most expensive one-off purchases they’ll make all year, so it makes a lot of sense to try to score a deal on one during Black Friday sales. But screen-hungry shoppers should be wary of deals that are too good to be true. Basic LCD TVs are a dime a dozen these days. After several decades of production, there’s a manufacturing surplus of their core materials, making them cheap to source and produce.
The Wirecutter Show Episode 16: Last-Minute Thanksgiving Tips
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Listen and follow The Wirecutter Show Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio | Other platforms Thanksgiving is (almost) here, and this week Wirecutter experts share their best last-minute tips to make your holiday a success.
By Christine Cyr Clisset Verified, Caira Blackwell Verified, Rosie Guerin Verified, Abigail Keel Verified, Hannah Morrill Verified, Rose Maura Lorre Verified, Lee Neikirk Verified, Lauren Dragan Verified, Ellen Airhart, James Austin Verified, Phil Ryan Verified, Michael Sullivan Verified, Ben Frumin Verified
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Wirecutter
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The 2 Best OLED TVs of 2024
OLED TVs are the best-looking TVs you can buy, capable of delivering extremely high image contrast, rich colors, smooth motion, and much better viewing angles than LCD TVs offer. They carry a higher price, but they’re a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who is truly passionate about movies or gaming. We recommend the LG C4 Series because it provides awesome picture quality at a competitive price.
The 3 Best LCD/LED TVs of 2024
Higher-end LCD TVs offer better brightness, color, and contrast than their budget-oriented siblings do, and the best LCD TVs can almost match OLED TVs in quality—for a more tolerable price.
The Best TVs
Our favorite TVs deliver superior picture quality for a reasonable price. Whether it’s a big-screen 4K OLED TV that delivers the ultimate videophile performance, a great 4K TV on a budget, or a small, 32-inch HDTV for a secondary space, our recommendations always take into account both performance and value. This article provides an overview of the top picks across all of our TV guides.
The 2 Best 32-Inch TVs of 2024
“Bigger is better” may be the television industry’s motto, but not everyone is on the hunt for a massive screen. If you’re looking for a smaller TV that’s suitable for a kitchen, dorm room, or bedroom—or if you just don’t want to spend much money—we recommend the Roku Select Series HD. None of the 32-inch TVs we tested matched the performance of our favorite premium or budget 4K TVs, but the Roku Select Series HD looks better than the competition, is easy to use, and is even good for video games.
The Best 4K TV on a Budget
While videophiles and serious gamers may be better served by brighter, higher-performance LCD TVs or OLED TVs, we recommend the Hisense U6K Series for anyone who just wants a very good 4K HDR TV that isn’t a burdensome investment. The U6K offers the same core software and hardware as our favorite higher-end LCD TVs do, but at a more budget-friendly price.
5 Things Our TV Expert Does to Instantly Improve a TV’s Performance
Imagine your excitement: You just ordered a top-rated TV, and it arrived today. You set it up, log in to your streaming app of choice, and voilà—picture perfection. Except, not quite. There’s something weird about the picture. Maybe the colors are exaggerated, or the motion seems overly smooth, or the screen keeps getting brighter and darker at random. Or all of the above. Did you get a lemon for a TV? No—sadly, that’s just the way most modern TVs look right out of the box.
5 Things Our TV Expert Does to Instantly Improve a TV’s Performance
Best Buy's Great Summer Sale: Post-Prime Day Deals Offer Hundreds of Dollars in Savings If you missed out on the Prime Day savings last week don't worry, Best Buy's got your back with a new week-long sale on tech, home and more. Even though Amazon's Prime Day came to an end last week, there are still so many savings to snatch up at Best Buy. This week, Best Buy is hosting its Great …
OLED, QLED, QNED: What's the difference?
Televisions Let's get to the bottom of all these TV terms Credit: Reviewed / Michael Desjardin Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission. Shopping for a TV these days can feel a little like waking up on the day of a big test only to realize that you haven't studied any of the material. There's a long list of TV buzzwords, from Dolby Vision to eARC, and the list is always growing and evolving.
The Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $100 of 2024
Credit: Reviewed / Geoffrey Morrison Tech Headphones Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Credit: Reviewed / Geoffrey Morrison Why trust Reviewed? Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
The Ultimate Guide to Ultra High Definition TV
Televisions 4K TVs are everywhere, but not all are created equal. Here's what you need to know. Credit: Reviewed.com / Lee Neikirk Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. If you've been in the market for a new TV recently, you've undoubtedly heard the term 4K. You may have also heard the term "UHD," which just stands for Ultra High Definition.
The Frame Is a Delightful TV That Transforms Into Artwork
Finding the right spot for a TV in a home theater or dedicated viewing room is pretty easy: Just choose an open wall, get the biggest screen you can fit or afford, and place some seating in front of it. But positioning TVs in rooms that aren’t built around a screen—like your kitchen, bedroom, or open living room—can require more planning.
The Best Soundbars of 2024
Credit: Yamaha Tech Televisions Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Credit: Yamaha Why trust Reviewed? Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
The Best 40- to 49-Inch TVs
Why you should trust me I oversee all of Wirecutter’s TV guides, as well as our guide to media streaming devices and several others. I have reviewed TVs since 2012, and I have ISF Level III training and calibration certification. There are more TV stands in my house than there are people. For this guide, we selected the 40- to 49-inch variants of the best TVs we tested for our guides to OLED TVs and LCD/LED TVs, as well as lauded standalone budget models.
What is Dolby Atmos sound? Here's everything to know
Home Theater Here's how to get the most exciting thing in home audio right now Credit: Dolby Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Remember when 3D was the next big thing in HDTVs? You'd pop on some red-and-blue tinted shades (or, in later years, slightly cooler black ones), and try to stay still, hoping to get a taste of the incredible imagery you'd seen in theaters.
The Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers of 2023
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser Tech Televisions Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser Why trust Reviewed? Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
The Best TVs
We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more› Electronics Home theater By Lee Neikirk Updated August 29, 2023 New picks coming soon After completing new testing, we have new 2023 picks coming in our LCD/LED TV guide: the TCL QM8 (top pick), Hisense U8K (runner-up), and Samsung QN95C (upgrade pick). Stay tuned for more details.
Xbox Series X vs. Xbox Series S: what's the difference?
Home Theater Which Xbox should be the next box for you? Credit: Microsoft Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. Microsoft's current-gen console lineup features the powerful, top-of-the-line Xbox Series X and the all-digital Xbox Series S.
The Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds of 2023
Credit: Reviewed / John Higgins Tech Headphones Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. Credit: Reviewed / John Higgins Why trust Reviewed? Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own.
The 2 Best OLED TVs of 2023
Electronics Home theater By Lee Neikirk Updated August 15, 2023 FYI After completing new testing, we’ve selected the Samsung S90C Series QD-OLED TV as our 2023 pick for the best OLED TV, though LG’s C3 Series is a close runner-up. August 2023 OLED TVs are the best-looking TVs you can buy, delivering extremely high image contrast, rich colors, smooth motion, and much better viewing angles than LCD TVs offer.
Don't throw your old TV out-do this instead
Televisions There are better options than just leaving it out on the curb Credit: Getty Images / "coramueller" Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission. It's finally time to update that aging TV with a new LG C3, Hisense U6K, or one of the other best TVs currently available. Figuring out how best to recycle or dispose of electronics properly is a pain, but it's worth it.
Vivaciously powerful, the new Xbox Series X is ahead of its time
Credit: Reviewed / Lee Neikirk Tech Home Theater Vivaciously powerful, the new Xbox Series X is ahead of its time The next generation of Microsoft's Xbox gaming consoles has finally arrived, after a good long seven years with the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X (available at Amazon for $499.99) is the flagship option in that lineup, promising to deliver a faster, more powerful, and more premium experience than any Xbox—and possibly any console—before it. But is the Series X worth all the hype?
Xbox Series X Review
9 hours ago The 97-inch LG Signature OLED M is only connected to a single power cord, with everything else being wirelessly transmitted from its ‘Zero Connect Box.’ It’ll be available in the UK next month for £27,999.99. LG’s eye-catching 97-inch Signature OLED M TV, which is almost completely free of wires …
How Wirecutter Tests TVs: Complex Gadgets, Sophisticated Software, and ‘Ted Lasso’
As Wirecutter’s senior staff writer covering video gear, it’s my job to pick the best TVs every year. While it’s easy to summarize why a more expensive TV performs better than a budget one, determining which TVs are the best requires more than just looking at specs and prices.
How Wirecutter Tests TVs: Complex Gadgets, Sophisticated Software, and ‘Ted Lasso’
As Wirecutter’s senior staff writer covering video gear, it’s my job to pick the best TVs every year. While it’s easy to summarize why a more expensive TV performs better than a budget one, determining which TVs are the best requires more than just looking at specs and prices.
The Best TVs
Electronics Home theater Sign up for Wirecutter's newsletterto get independent reviews, expert advice, and the very best deals sent straight to your inbox. Our favorite TVs deliver superior picture quality for a reasonable price. Whether it’s a big-screen 4K OLED TV that delivers the ultimate videophile performance, a great 4K gaming TV, or a small, 32-inch HDTV for a secondary space, our recommendations always take into account both performance and value.
The Best Workout Headphones of 2024
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar Tech Headphones Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar Why trust Reviewed? Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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