Overview
The 60 inch 4K UHD TVs included in this list represent something just short of the optimal 4K TV size for maximum enjoyment of the resolution. On the one hand, they’re not so large that even 4K graphics become evident in their pixelation at longer ranges but on the other hand, the following 60 inch TV models are sizeable enough to create a genuinely immersive experience. As we’ll see, 65 inch is an even better size for a 4K TV display but 60 is definitely a winner in many cases for those who don’t want a more conservative 55 inch display but don’t have the budget or space for a hefty 65 inch TV screen.
That said, 60 inches is certainly not a common TV display size and as such, it means a rather limited selection of truly high quality 4K TV models on offer. Thus, while the TVs we’re about to cover shortly are definitely the best in their class at this size range, they certainly don’t represent many of the best 4K TVs on the market right now, which are commonly found in the 55″ and then 65″ or larger size ranges.
A Note on Viewing Distance
Viewing distance in a 4K UHD TV is a bit of a controversial subject because it also plays into the fact that 4K really can’t easily be distinguished from high quality Full HD at larger distances on smaller TV screens. However, when it comes to 60 inch 4K UHD TVs, this becomes less of a problem since the sizeable display space starts to let the much larger resolution show off its superiority in terms of display quality. In fact, it is between the 55 and 65 inch size ranges where this truly becomes possible at normal 7 to 15 foot viewing distances.
With these general parameters in mind, it should be noted that the ideal viewing distance for maximum appreciation of the native 4K content and upscaled non-4K content on a 60 inch 4K TV is about 8.5 to 9 feet, or just over 2.6 meters. This is the golden zone in which the 4K looks great while the TVs size still feels immersive.
Now, before we move onto our Top 5 60 inch 4K ultra HD TVs themselves, we should note that after these listings we review a number of crucial points to keep in mind about buying a 4K TV. These are all covered in detail right after the following 4K TVs and are worth reading, particularly if you’re a newbie to this technology.
The Best 60 inch 4K TVs of 2016
Now, without further ado, let’s get down to the meat of this guide. The following are the best 60 inch 4K TVs across the board on the current market. This list will also undergo updates as newer and possibly better 69 inch models emerge. All of the following TVs come with a native 120Hz refresh rate unless otherwise stated in a description.
Note that Samsung models predominate here. This is not out of a specific bias in favor of Samsung but simply because, as with 48-50 inch models, Samsung is the most prolific at catering to the less commonly sized 4K TV market.
Samsung 60 Inch KS8000 4K SUHD HDR TV
As the only one of the 2016 SUHD 4K HDR TVs to come in a 60 inch size option which may be a bit difficult to get your hands on, the KS8000 is nonetheless one of the best LCD 4K TVs of 2016. It compares well not only to other competitor models from 2016 and against its own 2016 SUHD cousins the KS9500, KS9000 and KS8500 but also easily beats pretty much any 2015 4K TV in tersm of display quality, specs and the sheer brightness and black levels it’s capable of.
As one of Samsung’s 2016 UHD Alliance-certified HDR 4K TVs, the KS8000 gives its viewers a display quality which includes 10-bit color, intensely bright peak luminance of more than 1300 nits (cd/m2) and possible black levels of as little as 0.02 nits. These are specs that even last year’s JS9500 flagship 2015 SUHD TV from Samsung couldn’t match and the KS8000 only comes with an edge-lit display! Furthermore, this particular model is superior in most specs to nearly any other edge-lit 4K LCD TV we’ve seen in 2016 so far.
The KS8000 is Ultra HD Premium certified
Finally, the 2016 KS8000 also comes with the latest generation of the excellent Tizen smart TV OS with Smart Hub, with wider access to streaming media apps than ever and new functionality features for even better user friendliness.
LG UH8500 4K Super UHD LCD TV HDR
LG may have created pure gold in its OLED 4K TVs since they were first introduced in 2014 but their LCD 4K televisions seems to have been models that the company habitually neglected in terms of quality design. For 2014, 2015 and even for many 2016 models we’ve looked at, this has almost consistently been the case with almost all of the LG LCD 4K TVs we reviewed performing worse than their Sony, Samsung and even Vizio counterparts.
Well we’re happy to say that the LGUH8500 definitely breaks this LG tendency and in a great way. This is a fine and beautifully designed piece of HDR 4K TV display technology which offers almost across the board high display performance to boot. Very good wide color gamut performance gives the UH8500 a rich, vibrant picture quality that certainly impresses and the TVs peak brightness, black level and black uniformity specs are not too bad at all (these have always been a major LG LCD TV weaknesses). Furthermore, the UH8500 is a superb model for motion handling, offers decent overall HDR performance and works well as a 4K TV for PC monitor use or console gaming. We also of course love LG’s superb WebOS 3.0 smart TV platform and the content upscaling engine on the UH8500 is nothing less than great.
Best of all, the UH8500 is not too badly priced for the HDR specs and general quality it offers up. Thanks LG for getting your LCD 4K models back on track with this TV.
Vizio’s second-tier 2016 4K HDR TVs are the M-Series and while they lack the wide color gamut support of the company’s flagship P-Series HDR models, they still do offer one superb package of display and motion control specs which combine to deliver a remarkably superb level of picture quality. Best of all, these TVs are remarkably affordable and in our view offer some of the best value per dollar spent of any 4K TVs for 2016. With the M-Series, you get your hands on superb black level performance, high peak brightness, great contrast levels, some superb judder and motion blur control capacity and a robust upscaling engine which is more than good enough to refine SD, 720p and especially Full HD content to look like something sharper on this TVs 60 inch ultra HD display. This TV, like all of the larger 2016 Vizio models also comes with the normally premium feature of full-array LED backlighting, resulting in a superb level of local dimming that beats most of the edge-lit competition even from major brands like Samsung or Sony.
Vizio has also improved its 2016 smart platform in a dramatic way, substituting the older Internet Apps Plus TV-based smart system for a new mobile device-based downloadable app which can be used from a majority of Android and iOS phones or tablets. In any case, the M-Series models come with their own smart remote tablet which includes the TVs smart platform built right into it.
Samsung 4K SUHD UN60JS7000 Series Smart TV: $1,997.99
Samsung JS7000 4K SUHD TV
Samsung’s JS7000 is one of the brand’s SUHD 4K TVs, which means that it offers quantum dot enhanced color in its display and also includes a few other distinct display specs. However, while many of the premium SUHD 4K TVs are rather pricey, the JS7000 is the most affordable of the line. With this TV you get the benefit of truly excellent viewing angles, great motion blur control and superb connectivity through the TV’s ports and wonderful Tizen smart TV OS. On the other hand, the quality of this model’s contrast and its overall screen uniformity both leave a bit to be desired.
Furthermore, the upscaling engine in the JS7000 is superb in true Samsung style and the color vibrancy and realism are both top notch, thanks to the hallmark quantum dot color filtration technology present in this and all USHD models. Another thing we also like about this model is its flat screen design, in contrast to the rest of the SUHD line. As we’ve said before on this site, curved screen design in home TV displays is a mostly useless gimmick that can also take away from viewing quality.
Samsung 4K UHD UN60JU7100 Series Smart TV : $ 2097.99
Samsung 4K UHD UN60JU7100 Series Smart TV
Out of Samsung’s JU-Series non-SUHD 4K TV lineup for 2015, the JU7100 is definitely one of the best and quite possibly the second best TV out of those models. In comparison to even the SUHD TVs, this is one superb performer and arguably superior to the JS7000 above with the exception of having a weaker color accuracy and gamut coverage. However, this TV offers everything you could want in a 4K UHD TV, with excellent contrast performance, full-array LED backlighting for some superb local dimming and exceptional luminance. Furthermore, Samsung has given the JU7100 an HDR firmware update as of late 2015, though we don’t consider it to be for the “true” HDR found in the top shelf SUHD 4K TV models.
Finally, the JU7100 60 inch edition comes with Samsung’s excellent Tizen smart TV OS and full access to the widest possible selection of 4K entertainment apps and media sources. The 60JU7100 is one highly recommended piece of home entertainment technology.
Vizio M60-C3 M-Series 4K Smart TV: $1,219.00
Vizio M60-C3 M-Series 4K Smart TV
Vizio’s M-Series 4K TVs are some of the finest pieces of budget 4K TV technology on the market today. These models offer up the higher brightness and more precise local dimming of full-array LED backlighting while also delivering excellent contrast and very decent color accuracy. They also give their users some truly great upscaling technology, robust access to streaming media apps and great judder performance along with decent motion control specs. And the 60 inch Vizio M-Series offers all of these specs.
On the other hand, the Vizio Smart TV Internet Apps Plus platform isn’t the best on the market and it neither offers support for 4K content from YouTube or for full web browsing. Also, color gamut coverage in these models is definitely inferior to that of Samsung’s or Sony’s best.
All that said, if you want a truly affordable 60 inch 4K TV that competes quite well against its pricier counterparts from the bigger major brands, the Vizio M60-C3 M-Series is one of your best bets.
Vizio P602ui-B3 P-Series 4K Smart TV: $2,014.98
Vizio P602ui-B3 P-Series 4K Smart TV
An oldie but a goodie, the 2014 Vizio P-Series P602ui-B3 is one very powerful piece of 4K TV technology that still sells for a decent price. With even better color accuracy, contrast and motion control performance than its newer M-Series cousin, this P-Series also offers Full-array LED backlighting but with even more local dimming zones for superior contrast accuracy. Furthermore, this TV offers one very bright display panel and some truly excellent black uniformity. Judder control and motion interpolation in the P-Series are particularly superb by any standards and would give even the best name brand competitors a run for their money in terms of performance.
On the other hand, color gamut coverage in the P-Series is less than stellar and results in a less vibrant picture quality, while the upscaling engine in this model could still have used some work, with 480p and 720p content upscaling rather poorly. Furthermore, the P-Series line has now been discontinued by Vizio, so there will be no updates forthcoming to these otherwise great 4K TVs.
Samsung 4K UHD UN60JU6500 Series Smart TV : $ 1397.99
Samsung 4K UHD UN60JU6500 Series Smart TV
Samsung’s JU6500 is one of the lower-priced 4K UHD models from the company’s JU-Series 2015 lineup. However, it still has plenty to offer as more of a starter 4K TV with a wonderfully large display and the second lowest retail price on this list.
With the JU6500 you get all the usual high quality connectivity specs of even the best Samsung 4K TVS, along with the same top-shelf Tizen smart TV OS, with connectivity support for HEVC, VP9 and of course, HDCP 2.2. Furthermore, this TV offers up some very low input lag, great overall color coverage, contrast and panel brightness, with great color accuracy, superb motion blur control and resolution upscaling. On the other hand, the JU6500 has no judder support and delivers what we’d call sub-par viewing angles.
Connectivity
All newer 4K UHD TV models will offer generally the same basic and core connectivity essentials, regardless of their dimensions. Some brands vary the number of key ports or fail to include a certain spec in select connection ports. Thus for example, a given 4K TV may include an extra USB port or fail to include the newer, HDR-ready HDMI 2.0a instead of the older HDMI 2.0. However, for viewing of most 4K content in existence today, the following are the core essentials you need:
Samsung’s One Connect box, which is compatible with most Samsung 4K UHD TVs
HDMI: HDMI is the most important single connectivity option in any 4K TV. It’s the de facto lead connectivity port in the televisions we’re covering and it’s through HDMI that virtually all of your content from external devices will reach your TV screen. For 4K content from an external box, HDMI 2.0 such as that found in all modern 4K televisions is the only means of delivering content from external media players, 4K Blu-ray players and 4K-capable set-top boxes to the TV itself. HDMI 2.0 offers up 4K movies at a smooth 60 frames per second and its new HDMI 2.0a version takes this further by also allowing high dynamic range coding in select HDR content to reach the TV (assuming it’s HDR-capable). HDMI 2.0a is now included in the majority of Sony and Samsung 4K TVs from 2015, thanks to new firmware updates from both companies. It’s also found in numerous other models.
USB: USB is the standard issue connectivity spec for attaching external devices like smartphones, tablets, external memory units and other low-intensity peripherals to your 4K TV. This connectivity option cannot yet be used for transmitting 4K UHD content in a functional way and the USB 2.0 ports found in most modern 4K TVs are mainly good for transferring photos, small video files and for charging external devices through your TV.
Internet Connectivity/WiFi: Internet connectivity to your TV via hardline Ethernet cable connection is the most important connection your TV can have right after HDMI. This is how the entire spectrum of smart TV web apps and browsing technologies in your TV will work and it’s also the only means by which streaming content in 4K resolution from sources like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant video will reach your TV at an effective, smooth bitrate. In other words, Ethernet is absolutely crucial for effective access to the full content and smart functionality power of your typical 4K smart TV, like all of the models we’re about to cover.
However, for 4K video over Ethernet to be effective, your home or office web connection has to deliver at least 15Mbps at an extreme minimum and more practically should deliver at least 20Mbps for smooth streaming of the many ultra HD video entertainment options your TV will offer through its apps ecosystem.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that any 4K TV worth its salt should also offer compatibility with video compression technologies like HEVC (H.265) and VP9 in order for most 4K content from a streaming source to be accessible. HDCP 2.2 content copy protection is also crucial for streamed 4K content support. Luckily, all of the TVs we’re covering here and most 4K TVs on sale today offer all of these technologies, or at least HEVC and HDCP 2.2.
On a quick side note, we should also mention WiFi. This is built into virtually all modern 4K TVs but cannot be used for sharing 4K content to other devices in a home, since most current WiFi connections don’t support the necessary bandwidth. However, sharing non-4K content between your TV and devices like smartphones is a great use of your TV’s WiFi connectivity. Thus, you can mirror a home HD video from your phone to the TV screen and enjoy it with an upscaled resolution on the native 4K screen.
Smart TV Platforms
Smart TV functionality is the backbone of modern 4K TVs of any quality and all major models offer this technology. It’s one of the oldest UHD TV features in existence and is also crucial for access to a whole world of streaming media apps like those we mentioned above. Smart TV also offers thorough adjustability of TV controls, access to external device content and in many cases also we browsing features.
Sony’s 4K UHD TVs come with their highly intuitive Android TV smart OS, Samsung’s 4K TVs now offer their Tizen OS with “Smart Hub” and LG’s 4K TVs offer either WebOS 2.0 or the newer and even better WebOS 3.0, which are both widely considered to be the best smart TV platforms in existence today. Then there is Firefox TV for Panasonic 4K Television models and Vizio’s new SmartCast mobile device-based smart TV platform, which is a complete game changer in smart OS functionality. It’s however only available for 2016 4K TVs from Vizio though we’re deeply impressed with the nature of its performance from what we’ve seen so far..
LG’s WebOS 2.O platform
While there are numerous differences between the assorted smart TV platforms among the major brands, all of them will at least feature: access to media apps, a main user interface with a home menu, built-in WiFi, streaming content navigation and navigation of content from external media devices.
Some of the best 4K smart TV platforms also offer features like voice or gesture control, full web browsing and the inclusion of a smart remote for doing many of the above. A lot of smart TV platforms also allow their users to set up individual profiles with their tailored preferences on them which can be activated through passwords, voice recognition and even more exotic technologies in some cases.
Upscaling and Native 4K viewing
While all 4K ultra HD TVs obviously offer the ability to view native 4K ultra HD content in its original resolution, the quality at which this content is displayed can vary widely depending on source and on the quality of the TV display itself. Hard media 4K movies from 4K Blu-ray players and external media devices usually offer the best and sharpest grade of 4K resolution while streamed 4K media sources can be somewhat inferior, and in some cases even inferior to upscaled Full HD video from a disc or media player. Furthermore, among brands of TV and different models, quality of displayed 4K videos can vary depending on the quality of a TVs contrast, whether it offers HDR and on how good the TV is at displaying vibrant realistic colors. Thus, don’t be fooled simply by seeing the phrase “4K resolution”. Pixel count is far from the only metric of native content quality.
As for upscaling, it’s another crucial feature of all 4K TVs worth their salt and algorithmic upscaling engines exist in the processing cores of all major TV models. The importance of upscaling technology lies in the simple fact that most content today isn’t native 4K and an upscaler engine reprocesses lower resolutions so that they look sharper and more “4K-like” on an ultra HD screen. The best upscaling engines, such as those found in the TVs we’re covering, do a great job of upscaling and are a crucial part of what makes 4K TVs superior even if you don’t use them to watch 4K videos of any kind.
Other Display Features
The best 4K TVs on the market and all of the models we’re covering here offer other display enhancement technologies besides just ultra HD resolution and resolution upscaling.
These display technologies often include high dynamic range, superior contrast, enhanced color gamut through special filters and high speed native refresh rates of 120Hz or more. There are also backlighting technologies in place which play a crucial role in how local dimming and contrast are delivered.
Quantum dot color enhancement technology
These extra display technologies without a doubt add a lot of extra value to buying a 4K TV over an HD model since many of them are only available un ultra HD TVs.
HDR
HDR is very noticeable in the 4K TVs that have the technology in their displays
HDR technology is also a crucial feature of the leading 2016 4K TVs in the 60 inch range which have it. With high dynamic range, display quality takes a major leap upward and the 2016 standards for HDR that the top four 4K TVs in this list have adopted are considerably better than what we saw of this technology in 2015. For an even more detailed breakdown of how the HDR in 4K UHD OLED and LCD TVs works, check out our guide to high dynamic range for a complete overview.
Backlighting
Backlighting in 4K ultra HD televisions can basically be divided into two different technologies: OLED and LCD/LED. For a highly comprehensive review of how these differ from each other and which is best, check out our OLED vs. LCD page here.
However, in basic terms, OLED is the superior lighting technology by which pixels in the screen itself provide their own light for visual elements on the display, and LCD, the slightly to highly inferior technology, generates illumination and contrast by activating arrays of LEDs behind an LCD display in the TV screen. These LED arrays can be of the best kind, called full-array LED backlighting and involve dozens or even hundreds of specific dimming and brightness zones or they can be designed so that lines of LEDs are places only along the edges of a 4K TVs screen, with rather imprecise “local” dimming delivering darkness or light horizontally from the TV bezel inwards.
None of the 60 inch models we’re covering here offer OLED technology (which currently belongs only to select premium LG and Panasonic 4K TVs) but some of them do offer full-array LED backlighting and others only edge-lit LED arrays.
