LG C6 OLED leads compact TV rankings with premium features and excellent gaming performance

Tom’s Guide highlights the LG C6 as the top compact TV, praised for its superior picture processing and versatile features, while also recognising strong budget and gaming options from Sony and Samsung in the 42-inch size class.

Tom’s Guide’s latest compact-TV round-up puts the LG C6 at the top for most buyers, and that is largely because it combines strong picture processing with a flexible feature set. The 42-inch OLED is rated for 4K resolution, HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG, and it adds four HDMI 2.1 ports, which makes it a practical choice for modern consoles and streaming devices. Tom’s Guide said the set performed strongly across colour, contrast and image modes, while RTINGS noted that the C6 delivers deep blacks, near-perfect contrast and very low input lag, making it suitable for both films and gaming.

For value, Tom’s Guide singles out the Sony Bravia 3 II as the most sensible budget option in this size class. The publication said the model offers unusually good HDR brightness for the money, with measured peak brightness of 520 nits in its tests, along with accurate colour and clear shadow detail. Sony’s own product information says the Bravia 3 II has four HDMI 2.1 ports, 120Hz motion and Google TV with Gemini support, although RTINGS’ broader BRAVIA 3 review also shows that Sony’s lower-tier 43-inch set remains a more basic product in other configurations.

The Samsung S90F OLED is Tom’s Guide’s pick for gaming, thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate, four HDMI 2.1 inputs and strong contrast. The site said the 42-inch version uses a WOLED panel rather than the brighter QD-OLED panel found in larger models in the same family, so the smaller set is a little less vivid than its bigger sibling. Even so, the combination of fast response, deep blacks and Samsung’s gaming tools still makes it one of the most capable small-screen OLEDs for console and PC use.