I review TVs for a living — here are the trends you should and shouldn't be excited about in 2025

Many manufacturers recently revealed their upcoming TV lineups at CES 2025, and several key trends emerged from the show. Most notably, brands are pushing bigger, brighter, and smarter TVs, with an emphasis on AI-powered features. But are these developments really worth getting excited about, or are they merely superficial upgrades?

I've been covering home entertainment products for over a decade, and in that time, I've seen various TV trends come and go, from 3D displays to curved screens. I've also seen new technologies, like OLED panels and local dimming backlights, plant their flags and stay for the long haul.

Though a full verdict on these latest trends will have to wait until I can get hands-on with this year's crop of TVs, there are a few takeaways that are already clear. Here's a breakdown of the top 2025 TV trends from CES and how they may or may not be worth getting excited about.

Bigger screens are coming across various budgets

Extra-large TVs are booming in popularity. In 2024, many companies saw their biggest sales growth across displays 75 inches and larger. In 2025, brands are set to expand their big-screen offerings even more, and this is one trend that I'm thrilled to get behind.

Big screens offer a more theater-like experience, and they're great for large rooms where you need to sit farther from your TV. On the other hand, there's also something really special about sitting up close and personal with a giant TV, as the enhanced field of view creates an incredible sense of immersion. I have a 77-inch set right now in my home theater setup, but I want to go even bigger the next time I buy a TV.

Of course, price is a huge consideration when shopping for an extra-large display. That's why it's exciting to see a trend toward more affordable options in 2025 that still offer great picture-quality features. TCL has already launched preorders for 75- and 85-inch versions of its new QM6K Mini LED TV, while a 98-inch model should be available in the coming months. Prices range from $1,300 to $3,500. That's not exactly cheap, but it's much lower than sets this big used to cost.

It's also key to remember that TCL TVs get huge discounts during deal events. Since the 98-inch QM6K starts at $3,500, I wouldn't be surprised to see it drop to under $2,000 once Prime Day rolls around, which, based on previous years, will likely be in July. That would be an incredible steal for a Mini LED TV so big. TCL also unveiled a 115-inch version of its step-up QM7K, which is noteworthy since last year's QM7 maxed out at 98 inches. Again, with deal pricing in mind, we could be looking at a new benchmark for affordability in the midrange 100-inch+ TV space.

High-end TV models are also getting extra-large sizes. For the first time, Samsung is offering its flagship S95 series OLED in 83 inches, while Hisense has a new premium 116-inch UX Mini LED and 136-inch Micro LED set for release this year. Those latter two models will likely cost more than $20,000, but they're poised to deliver the ultimate big-screen viewing experience for early adopters with deep pockets.

Displays are getting brighter, but this perk only benefits certain uses

Brightness is a key factor in a TV's overall picture capabilities, and the best TVs have been getting brighter every year. In 2025, companies are promising another leap for both QLED and OLED models, but is this bump in performance actually needed? Well, that depends on your viewing habits.

High brightness is beneficial for two primary reasons: it can combat glare in rooms with lots of light and produce high-dynamic range (HDR) images with the intensity that creators intended.

If you watch TV during the day in a room with many windows, you know the pain of fighting reflections. TVs with high luminance allow you to pump up the brightness setting to help overcome this. Some TVs can even get bright enough to suit outdoor setups.

The other use case where high brightness is handy is watching HDR videos. HDR is rarely used for live TV, so this doesn't impact most cable, satellite, over-the-air, or livestreaming broadcasts. But HDR is common in many on-demand streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs. It enables better contrast and colors with more realistic highlights, like explosions. The brighter a TV can get, the more intense these highlights look. You can learn more in our "What is HDR?" guide.

But just being able to get insanely bright is pointless if the HDR content you're watching doesn't actually call for such high luminance. Brightness is measured in a unit called nits, and most HDR videos are mastered with a peak of around 1,000 to 2,000 nits in mind. A small selection of movies and shows are mastered for even higher brightness, with 10,000 being the current max, but it's rare for content to call for anything above 4,000 nits.

So, while it's cool that we're getting new TVs that can hit 3,000 nits and more, most of what you watch doesn't need to get that bright. We're starting to see filmmakers grade their movies with higher-brightness displays in mind, but such extreme capabilities are really only needed if you're an HDR enthusiast or you have big problems with glare.

I'm still excited to check out these new ultra-bright sets, like Hisense's impressive 10,000-nit TVs, but as a big home theater nerd, I'm the target audience. For most people, that's just overkill.

Brands are touting smarter software with AI, but are these features actually helpful or even new?

If there was one major buzzword that appeared in nearly every TV brand's CES presentation this year, it was AI. This isn't a big surprise since AI features are popping up on various tech products like phones and laptops. But what might be surprising to some is the fact that AI-branded features on TVs are nothing new.

AI-powered upscaling processes, automatic picture adjustment modes, and other smart functions have been around for years. Many brands acknowledged this in their CES presentations by framing this year's features as the latest developments in their ongoing AI journeys. But, in some ways, it does look like manufacturers are just trying to capitalize on AI's surging popularity by refreshing perks that have already been available and adding others that look a bit superfluous.

For instance, Samsung is touting Vision AI as a big, new aspect of its 2025 TV offerings. Part of Vision AI's suite of features includes AI picture and sound technologies that can analyze and automatically optimize performance. Though these processes are getting improvements for 2025, they're not new. Meanwhile, LG is also refreshing similar AI picture and audio optimizations: It is going so far as to rebrand its remote control as an "AI Remote" and rename the microphone button the "AI button."

Thankfully, more substantial AI features are on the way, too. Samsung is adding a search function that lets you learn about performers on screen and a real-time translation function that can create subtitles. LG is introducing Voice ID that recognizes user voices to switch profiles and create AI-assisted recommendations. It's also using AI to enhance content searches and enable a ChatBot (first introduced in 2024 models) to help with troubleshooting and adjusting settings. Both brands are launching generative image functions that use AI to create custom wallpapers and screensavers (something Amazon's latest Fire TV Stick Max does, too).

On paper, some of these functions sound like they could be helpful, but it remains to be seen how well they perform, and none of them sound like game changers in the smart TV space. Picture quality has gotten so good across the board that it's less of a differentiator for various TV brands, so it's no surprise that companies are emphasizing other features to try to stand out. It's great that we continue to get smarter smart TVs, but the idea that we're suddenly getting a new class of "AI TVs" this year is likely overblown.