Panasonic is one of the most interesting TV brands around at the moment. Why? Because as well as re-launching its TVs in the US last year, it also got a strong record creating “as the director intended” viewing experiences, based on our latest reviews.
Which is why you may well be considering getting one as your next TV. If you are, then you’re in the right place as in this guide our team of home cinema aficionados (reviewers) who have decades of experience reviewing Panasonic TVs, including its first ever OLED, detail the top models they personally recommend.
You can get a detailed breakdown of how we test Panasonic TVs at the bottom of this page. The Cliff Notes is that we run them through the exact same comparative testing process as every other TV we review.
This involves running them directly against rival products in our dedicated viewing rooms using a series of test discs and scenes to gauge key things including picture and audio quality, gaming performance, app support, and value for money. So you can trust our buying advice.
But before you scroll down, on the off chance you’re not 100 per cent committed to your next TV being made by Panasonic, make sure to also check out our best TV, best OLED TV and best cheap TV buying guides, for a wider selection of recommendations.
I'm What Hi-Fi?'s TV and AV Editor, and in the 16 years that I’ve been testing home cinema products I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good TV. I’m also a bit of a movie buff, so Panasonic’s connections with Hollywood really appeal to me. I’ve been known to put in the odd lap or 50 on Forza Motorsport, too, so I know what to look for when it comes to gaming features and performance as well.
Recent updates
29th January 2025: We removed our old recommendations and added the Z95A and W90A to reflect our latest reviews. We also updated the intro and FAQ to update readers on the newer models, which are set to launch later this year.
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The quick list
Best overall
A new model is incoming, but until its out and we’ve reviewed it this is the flagship Panasonic OLED we recommend.
Best value
The W90A is the cheapest Panasonic TV we’ve reviewed and currently recommend, offering surprisingly accurate colours and a pleasingly balanced performance during our tests.
The best Panasonic TV overall
The Panasonic Z95A is the company's current flagship OLED TV, sitting above the step-down Panasonic Z90A and Z85A. But, its time in the sun is coming to a close with the Panasonic Z95B launching at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2025) in January.
Despite the imminent threat of its successor, until the Z95B goes on sale later in the year and we get one in for testing, the Z95A remains the five-star Panasonic OLED we recommend.
For your money you get an incredibly capable set that during out checks offered the best “as the director intended” experience we’ve had on a TV with Micro Lens Array (MLA) hardware. MLA is a What Hi-Fi? Award-winning technology built by LG Display that aims to radically raise OLED max and peak brightness levels.
The technology is being replaced by new LG Display-made “4th Gen’ OLED” hardware this year on key sets including the Z95B. But until then the Z95A is the best implementation of MLA we’ve experienced and top option for any home cinema fan that cares about picture authenticity above all else.
Whether it was the scorching deserts of Dune: Part 2, sprawling metropolis of Blade Runner 2049, or vibrant cartoony world of Barbie, the TV delivered a punchy but wonderfully accurate performance, leading our testers to report:
“The Panasonic Z95A is a fantastic TV and a great showcase of how brightness-boosting MLA technology can be used to enhance picture quality. Thanks to Panasonic’s continued focus on delivering an authentic, controlled and balanced picture, the set uses the added brightness in a way that truly improves rather than distracts from what’s happening on screen.”
The only minor issues you need to be aware of are that, like all the non-LG and Samsung OLEDs we test, it only has two HDMI 2.1 inputs one of which doubles as an eARC. So if you have multiple current generation games consoles and a Dolby Atmos soundbar you will have to contend with some cable swapping. The current Xbox and PS5 consoles require an HDMI 2.1 to run at full speed, and an eARC connection is required for Dolby Atmos.
On the subject of Dolby Atmos, while the TV’s Technics-tuned speaker system performed better than most TVs, it still didn’t match the performance we got with moderately priced soundbars, including the Sonos Beam Gen 2. So you will want to invest in a separate sound system for the best home cinema experience possible.
Read our full Panasonic Z95A review
The value
The W90A is the cheapest Panasonic TV we currently recommend. Though it doesn’t have a Mini LED backlight, instead coming loaded with a standard FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) LED backlight, during our checks it proved to be an incredibly capable performer.
What was particularly impressive is how well it performed when we ran it head-to-head with rival Mini LED sets, which included the Hisense U7N listed in our best Mini LED TV guide.
Despite not having Mini LEDs, which use smaller LEDs to help boost brightness, light management and general accuracy, the W90A offered a solid, three dimensional accurate image. This helped compensate for its slightly lower peak brightness levels and greyer blacks.
As our reviewers reported in our W90A review:
“The Panasonic W90A is a competent LCD TV that retains the brand’s focus on accuracy and naturalness. Though it can’t match the peak brightness or shadow detail of competing Mini LED sets that are only moderately more expensive, this focus at least lets it compete in other areas we care about – chief of which is colour accuracy. If you’re a serious movie fan who values this factor, the W90A is a solid choice.”
For gamers it’s also competitive. Though it only has two HDMI 2.1 connections, one of which doubles as an eARC, it does support 4K/144Hz, ALLM and VRR – which aren’t guaranteed additions on a TV at this price.
The use of Amazon Fire TV software also gives it flawless app support. Just be warned, you will want to invest in a soundbar alongside the W90A as its speakers are very average, even by mid-range/affordable TV standards.
Read our full Panasonic W90A review
How to choose the best Panasonic TV for you
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t take screen size into consideration when shopping for a new TV. While a big TV might physically fit into the space you have available, you also have to think about the size of your room and how far away from the screen you’ll be sitting. If you haven’t bought a new TV for a while, bear in mind that screen bezels tend to be slimmer than before, so you might be able to accommodate something larger than you’ve currently got.
Panasonic still makes a few HD TVs, but everything on our list is 4K, so there’s no need to make a choice over resolution. The company hasn’t joined Samsung and LG on the 8K bandwagon either, so you don’t have to think about whether you want to futureproof yourself despite the lack of 8K content, and with most modern Panasonic TVs supporting all of the major HDR codecs (HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision), there’s no danger of being denied seeing certain content at its best.
From a technical point of view the biggest question you’ll probably need to ask yourself is whether you want an OLED or LCD model. We only have the former on the list above, because Panasonic's OLEDs are among the best you can buy from any manufacturer, and we always recommended spending the extra cash on one if you can afford it. The improvements they offer in picture quality are very much worth it.
Panasonic TV FAQ
When are new Panasonic TVs coming out?
Panasonic unveiled its new OLED and selection LED TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January. These include the Z95B OLED and W95B Mini LED. We don’t have full pricing and availability for either ranges yet, but based on Panasonic’s previous release cycles we’d expect them to go on sale in the second half of the year.
Are Panasonic TVs good?
We always warn against taking a specific brand as an automatic sign a product is good. Having reviewed TVs since CRTs were still all the rage we’re yet to find a TV maker with a 100 per cent batting average. Panasonic is no different. The Japanese brand’s TVs have carved a strong reputation as having an overt focus on “accuracy” and delivering “as the director intended” home movie experiences. But, our reviewers have tested their fair share of four-star and occasionally three-star sets from the brand, even in recent years. So still need to research the specific model you’re considering, even if it has Panasonic branding on it.
What is Filmmaker Mode?
Modern TVs are packed with modes and settings that are designed to make the picture look better, but plenty of Hollywood hotshots have complained in the past that they actually do the opposite. Panasonic solves that issue by including Filmmaker Mode, which overrides any processing features and ensures that the aspect ratio, frame rate and colour settings make the movie look exactly as the director intended.
Filmmaker Mode isn’t exclusive to Panasonic TVs, it was developed by the UHD Alliance, which also includes Samsung, LG, and Hisense, but it’s definitely something worth taking into account when you’re shopping for a new TV. You can read more about how Filmmaker Mode came about here.
Why are there so many different HDR formats?
The AV industry is no stranger to a format war – remember VHS vs Betamax, or Blu-ray vs HD DVD? – and HDR is no different, although this conflict is definitely on the colder side. There are four main HDR codecs, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision, and while they're developed by different companies they all do largely the same thing, just in slightly different ways.
Fortunately, a single TV can support more than one, and all three Panasonic TVs above work with the full quartet of codecs. Having so many different options only really serves to confuse the consumer, hence articles like this one that fully explain the differences, but if you buy one of these Panasonic TVs you’ll know you're good to watch all of them.
What’s so special about HDMI 2.1?
How bothered you need to be about HDMI 2.1 right now depends largely on whether you’re a big gamer or not. HDMI 2.1 supports Dynamic HDR at 4K/120fps, and while most films are shown in 24fps, and TV shows tend to be either 25fps or 30fps, current-gen games consoles can pump out much higher frame rates, so you need at least one HDMI 2.1 socket on your TV to get the best out of them.
One thing to be wary of is that one of the HDMI 2.1 ports is sometimes the one you’ll need to use if you have a soundbar that works over eARC, so if you own both an Xbox Series X and a PS5, and don’t want to constantly be messing about with your HDMI cables, you’ll need enough compatible sockets to accommodate all your kit.
How we test the best Panasonic TVs
Every TV we review at What Hi-Fi?, no matter whether it’s made by Panasonic or one of the other manufacturers, is put through the same rigorous testing process. But what exactly does that involve?
You can read a full breakdown of what happens behind the doors of our world-class testing facilities, but the short version is that having these dedicated facilities allows our team of expert reviewers to have complete control over the environment, ensuring the testing conditions are always the same.
All of the Panasonic TVs listed above were tested on their own for dedicated reviews, but all products we test are also put up against rival products in the same price category so we can make informed decisions about which ones are the very best, not just those that impress in isolation.
From all of those reviews our team compiles Best Buy guides like this one, using over 100 years of combined testing and writing experience to ensure that only the most deserving products make the cut. That means if you choose something from this list, or any of the others like it, you can be sure you’ve got a What Hi-Fi?-approved product heading your way.
Recent updates
- January 2025: Two new TVs recommended to reflect latest testing.
- August 2024: Updated to reference newer models going on sale and changes in price to the included TVs.
- May 2024: Revised the 'Intro', 'How to Choose', and 'How We Test' blocks. Added a new FAQ section, picture galleries and 'Author' block.
- Our pick of the best LG TVs available
- And the best Sony TVs
