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  • The 7 best 65-inch TVs of 2024

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    A Collage of the Best 65" TV's With brands Sony, Samsung, and LG Represented on a blue gradient.
    The best 65-inch TVs include top models from LG, Samsung, and Sony.

    Size is one of the most important factors when deciding on a new TV. Many brands use 65 inches as the flagship size to showcase their top models, and this option is perfect for buyers who want a big screen that still fits in most living rooms. The best 65-inch TV for your needs will vary depending on your budget and viewing habits, but there are several great options. 

    Through a combination of hands-on testing and expertise informed by more than a decade covering the home entertainment industry, we selected the best 65-inch TVs you can buy. Our top recommendation is the Samsung S90C 4K TV. Thanks to its OLED panel and quantum dot technology, it delivers stunning contrast and color. But if that's too expensive, the Hisense U6K is the best 65-inch TV you can snag on a budget. Despite its low price, it boasts advanced image quality features like a Mini LED backlight.    

    Below are all seven of our picks for the best 65-inch TVs. Our recommendations cover every display type and budget, so you're sure to find something here to suit your needs.

    Our top picks for the best 65-inch TVs

    Best overall: Samsung S90C – See at Amazon 

    Best on a budget: Hisense U6K – See at Walmart 

    Best OLED for wall mounting: LG G3 – See at Amazon

    Best for home theaters: Sony A95L – See at Amazon

    Best midrange: Hisense U7K – See at Amazon

    Best with high brightness: TCL QM8 – See at Walmart

    Best designer display: Samsung Frame – See at Amazon


    Best overall

    When it comes to balancing price and performance, Samsung's S90C is the best 65-inch TV — and our pick for the best TV period — that you can buy. For the money, there simply isn't a better display out there.

    Unlike OLED TVs from LG, the S90C uses quantum dots to enable brighter colors. Coupled with the TV's infinite contrast ratio, the S90C's quantum dot filter leads to gorgeous high dynamic range (HDR) images with an impressive peak brightness of around 1,000 nits. You'd have to pay at least $600 more to get a 65-inch OLED that delivers better picture performance than this.

    The Samsung S90C television with an undersea shot on the screen, captured from the side.
    The Samsung S90C has better color performance than other 65-inch OLEDs in its price range.

    And though it's disappointing that Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision, which can provide a more finely-tuned HDR image, the S90C's HDR10 and HDR10+ capabilities are so strong that we don't think most people will notice a difference. You can learn more about how different HDR formats compare in our HDR TV guide. The S90C also upscales lower-resolution content well, though it can't match the picture processing on a high-end Sony display. 

    Whether you're watching 4K movies at night or just flipping through cable channels in an average living room during the day, the S90C looks fantastic. The smart TV interface is also solid, though we prefer other platforms like Roku OS. On the plus side, Samsung's operating system is the only smart TV platform supporting Xbox Game Pass, which lets members stream high-end games without a console. The TV even supports a high 144Hz refresh rate when paired with a gaming PC.

    Samsung does sell an updated version of this TV for 2024, called the S90D. But while the new model is expected to be a bit brighter, it's also much more expensive. When looking at the overall value for your dollar, we think the S90C remains the best 65-inch TV you can buy. 

    Read our Samsung S90C OLED 4K TV review.

    Check out our full guide to the best Samsung TVs.


    Best on a budget

    Hisense's U6K proves you can still snag a great 65-inch TV on a budget. Despite some performance tradeoffs compared to our more expensive picks, the U6K delivers incredible value at this size.

    This budget-friendly TV uses a QLED display with local dimming and quantum dots. And while you might find some similarly priced options from competitors with those features, the U6K is the only TV in its price range that also uses Mini LED technology. Mini LEDs enable more precise control of a TV's dimming zones to produce better contrast and less blooming (halos around bright objects). 

    A screenshot from The Mandalorian on the Hisense U6K.
    Hisense's U6K is the most affordable 65-inch Mini LED TV you can buy.

    The U6K's dimming performance is great for its class, but its black levels aren't as deep as you'd see on more expensive QLED sets. The U6K also has limited brightness compared to high-end QLEDs, so it's not as good for rooms that let in a lot of light. 

    But at a peak of around 600 nits, the TV can still deliver highlights with just enough pop to show off the benefits of high dynamic range content. And thanks to its quantum dot filter, it offers an expanded range of colors when watching HDR programs. You'll just want to watch those programs from a centered view since colors and contrast dramatically fade when sitting off to the side.

    However, this level of off-axis performance is the norm for TVs in this price range. And like most sets in this class, the U6K is limited to a 60Hz panel rather than 120Hz, so you can't enable high frame rate support on a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. But for a typical sale price of around $500-$550, there simply isn't another budget-friendly 65-inch TV that balances cost and performance like the U6K. 

    Hisense does have a 2024 version of this display, called the U6N, but it's more expensive without offering a major upgrade. For now, the U6K is still the best 65-inch TV you can get for such a low price.

    Read our Hisense U6K 4K TV review


    Best OLED for wall mounting

    Those who want a design-focused 65-inch TV that doesn't skimp on top-notch home theater performance should check out the LG G3. 

    Like Samsung's popular Frame TV, the G3 has a thin profile and a flush wall mount that lets you hang it on your wall with virtually no gap. But unlike the Frame, the G3 uses an OLED panel for superior picture quality with much better contrast, black levels, and viewing angles. You miss out on the Frame's matte screen, separate connection box, and interchangeable bezels, but the jump in image performance is substantial.

    An LG G3 OLED TV on an entertainment console displaying an image of a leopard.
    The G3 is designed for hanging on your wall and looks best when mounted that way, but you can buy a traditional stand separately.

    And despite not using quantum dots like high-end OLEDs from Sony and Samsung, the G3 is one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. This high brightness also distinguishes the G3 from its otherwise similar predecessor, the G2 OLED TV. During our tests, we measured a peak of around 1,470 nits on the G3, while the G2 topped out at around 1,000.

    But while the G3 looks gorgeous on a wall, it's not a top pick if you plan to put it on an entertainment console. It doesn't even come with a stand, so you'd have to buy one separately, which adds to the cost, and we don't like how the panel tilts back slightly when it's attached to its stand.

    That said, LG does sell a new 2024 edition of this display, called the G4, which now includes a stand if you buy the 65-inch size. And the new stand no longer tilts the panel. However, based on our hands-on testing with the G4, it only offers minor improvements in image quality, so we think the cheaper G3 is still the better buy for wall mounting.  


    Best for home theaters

    Sony's A95L OLED is built for home theater enthusiasts. It's expensive, but the display edges out the picture performance of every other 4K TV on the market.

    Compared to its already impressive predecessor, the A95K, the A95L offers a big upgrade in one key area: peak brightness. We measured a peak of around 1,500 nits with the TV set in its most accurate picture mode. That's a 50% increase over the previous model and one of the highest brightness levels we've ever seen on an OLED. This lets the TV display specular highlights with more realistic intensity when watching HDR content graded beyond 1,000 nits. 

    An angled view of a Sony A95L 4K OLED TV on a TV stand displaying the Google TV home page with an image from "The Marvels" on the screen.
    Sony's A95L has the best picture quality of any 65-inch TV on the market.

    But while the A95L was the OLED brightness champ last year, Samsung's brand-new S95D has now surpassed it with a peak of 1,700 nits. However, the A95L still distinguishes itself from competitors thanks to Sony's proprietary picture processing powered by its "Cognitive Processor XR." Though that sounds like marketing jargon, this tech makes a difference when optimizing the TV's images. Its HDR tone mapping is also more accurate than Samsung's, and it supports Dolby Vision, so you'll get slightly better high-dynamic-range performance when watching Dolby Vision content.  

    The display complements its high-end picture with a premium design and a unique stand that can be attached in a low- or high-profile configuration. Low allows the TV to sit flush with your entertainment console, while high gives you enough room to put a soundbar in front. 

    The A95L also boasts reliable Google TV streaming and comes with a webcam that can be used for video calls and gesture controls, which is a cool extra perk. From image quality to design, the A95L fully earns its premium status. We wish it had more HDMI 2.1 ports and a 144Hz mode for PC gaming, but those omissions are minor compared to everything the A95L does right. Though most people will be satisfied with a less expensive TV, the A95L is ideal for videophiles willing to pay a premium to get the best movie-watching experience.


    Best midrange model

    You can find plenty of 65-inch TVs in the $700 price range, but few deliver all the picture quality perks you get with Hisense's U7K. Like the cheaper U6K, the U7K uses quantum dots for wide color support and a Mini LED backlight, but this model steps things up with more dimming zones, a brighter picture, and a higher refresh rate. 

    With a peak brightness of around 1,000 nits, the U7K gets plenty bright for most use cases and delivers great HDR performance. It supports all major formats, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Contrast is also great for a QLED thanks to the TV's Mini LEDs and local dimming, which enables it to adjust brightness across precise zones. 

    A Hisense U7K 4K TV displaying its Gaming Mode Pro menu on screen.
    The Hisense U7K delivers bright HDR performance and a high refresh rate for a great price.

    Black levels are excellent for a TV of this type, but while reviewing the set, we found local dimming fluctuations to be a bit more noticeable than on pricier QLEDs. The U7K's Google TV interface can lag a little, too, and the display has mediocre viewing angles. As a result, this isn't the best 65-inch TV for viewers who plan to sit off-center from their display. We recommend buying an OLED TV or one of Samsung's high-end QLEDs, like the QN90C, for better off-axis quality.  

    But considering its low price, it's hard to find much fault with the U7K's picture performance. It even packs in a 120Hz panel that can go up to 144Hz with a PC for high-frame-rate gaming. Buyers should note that there is a new version of this display, called the U7N, rolling out to stores. Its specs promise a brighter image, but we don't think it's worth the extra money right now. If you just want a great all-around 65-inch QLED for under $700, the U7K should be at the top of your list. 

    Read our Hisense U7K 4K TV review.


    Best for high brightness

    If you want a bright display, the TCL QM8 is easily one of the best 65-inch TVs you can buy. The QM8's QLED panel can deliver a peak of around 2,000 nits, which makes it one of the brightest TVs on the market. This impressive brightness makes HDR images pop while enabling better SDR performance in rooms with a lot of ambient light. 

    Of course, it's not enough for a TV to just get bright. A display must also have excellent control over its light output to maintain great image quality. And thankfully, the QM8 does just that. With its Mini LED backlight and local dimming capabilities, the TV can precisely adjust its contrast to produce deep black levels and vibrant specular highlights, and we didn't encounter any notable blooming around bright objects during our review. You also get extensive gaming features, with 144Hz support when paired with a PC.

    Waves crashing over rocks displayed on a TCL QM8 TV
    The TCL QM8 can reach a whopping 2,000 nits of peak brightness.

    On the downside, like most QLED TVs, the QM8's viewing angles are mediocre, which causes colors to fade and contrast to distort if you sit to the side of the display. And though the TV looks fantastic in bright rooms thanks to its high light output, we noticed that its anti-reflective coating can cause a rainbow-streak effect when it reflects certain overhead lights. If you want a similarly bright 65-inch QLED without these issues, we recommend the Samsung QN90C, but you'll have to pay at least $600 more. 

    The QM8 uses the Google TV operating system with access to all of the best streaming services, and it includes a Google Assistant voice remote. Navigation is snappy, and performance is a bit smoother than what we encountered on the Hisense U8K, which is the QM8's direct competitor. However, we did run into an odd WiFi issue with our internet setup that caused false "WiFi Not Connected" messages to pop up. This appears to be an isolated problem, though, and not one that other customers have experienced. 

    Despite minor quirks, the TCL QM8 is a true standout for the money, with a bright QLED panel that offers high-end image quality for a midrange price. A 2024 version of this display was announced at CES 2024, but it's not available yet. Early details from TCL promise up to 5,000 nits of brightness, a substantial upgrade, but few HDR videos require that luminance level. We also expect the new QM8 to cost much more than the 2023 model, so it's likely this set will remain the better value while supplies last.  

    Read our TCL QM8 4K TV review


    Best designer display

    The Samsung Frame TV is perfect for buyers who want a 65-inch display that can blend seamlessly into their living room decor. Built with an emphasis on design, the TV features interchangeable bezels and a matte screen that can make it look like a piece of art hanging on your wall.

    The bezels come in different styles that magnetically attach to the TV. The Frame also has a Slim-Fit Wall Mount that lets you hang it flush against your wall. And unlike most TVs, the Frame uses a separate One Connect Box to house all its ports, so you just need one cable running from the display. If you need to connect an AV receiver, streaming device, or gaming console, you simply hook those up to the TV's external box, which removes all those unsightly wires on your wall.  

    A Samsung Frame TV on an entertainment console in a living room with a bird displayed on its screen.
    The Frame TV's matte screen gives it a more canvas-like appearance than a typical glossy TV.

    The screen features a matte finish rather than the glossy look of most modern TVs. This helps reduce reflections and gives the Frame a canvas-like appearance. The Frame also has an "Art Mode," which lets it display paintings, photos, or other images when not used as a TV. Built-in motion sensors can be activated so the Art Mode turns on when the TV senses someone in the room. You can use your own images or have the Frame cycle through art from Samsung's Art Store (subscription required).

    But while the Frame has a high-end design, its picture quality is a mixed bag. The QLED panel offers wide color support, but brightness is limited compared to Samsung's top QLEDs. It also lacks local dimming, which results in the worst contrast and black-level performance of any 65-inch TV in this guide. 

    The Frame isn't geared toward wowing you with high dynamic range imagery. Instead, it's meant to appeal to buyers who want a 65-inch display that can serve as both a design piece for the living room and a capable smart TV for casual viewing. And in that sense, it excels.

    The new 2024 Frame TV offers some color improvements over the older model but otherwise delivers similar performance. However, the 2024 model often sells for the same price as its predecessor. Unless you find the older model on sale for less, you should snag the 2024 edition. 


    How we test 65-inch TVs

    Side view of an LG G2 OLED's webOS interface menu
    We evaluate key factors like smart TV navigation and picture quality on every 65-inch display we test.

    To pick the best 65-inch TVs for our guide, we used a combination of hands-on testing and research bolstered by more than a decade's worth of expertise covering the home entertainment product industry. When we test displays, we evaluate them for general picture clarity, contrast performance, HDR peak brightness, color, off-axis viewing, smart TV interface, and value for the money. 

    Brightness is measured using an X-Rite iDisplay Plus colorimeter. Other objective display capabilities are evaluated using test patterns found on the Spears & UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc. 

    To get a sense of real-world performance, we also watch scenes from movies and TV shows with clips specifically selected to emphasize a display's black levels, highlights, color capabilities, and upscaling. Our demo material includes a mix of 4K, 1080p high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) content from streaming devices, cable TV, and Blu-ray discs. We also watch content in different lighting conditions to evaluate bright-room and dark-room performance. 

    The best 65-inch TVs will also have excellent smart TV features, so we test overall navigation speed and app stability, voice search, digital assistant integration, and extra perks like game streaming support. 


    65-inch TV FAQs

    The screen of the Samsung S90C showing the Tizen interface.
    We think 65 inches is the ideal size for buyers who want a big-screen display that can still fit in most living rooms.

    Is it worth buying a 65-inch TV?

    If you have the space for it, we think 65 inches is the ideal size to consider when shopping for a new TV, especially a 4K model. Many brands use 65 inches as their flagship size to show off their best 4K TVs, and this size is great for delivering big-screen immersion without taking up too much room.

    However, you can still find excellent TV models in smaller sizes if you need something more compact. Likewise, top displays are available in larger sizes if you want an even more immersive screen.

    Check out our other size-specific guides for more display recommendations:

    How much should you spend on a 65-inch TV?

    Exactly how much you should spend on a 65-inch TV depends on your viewing needs. The best 65-inch TVs range in price from around $500 to over $3,000. You can also find cheaper entry-level 65-inch TVs for under $400, but we generally recommend paying more for one of our abovementioned picks.

    Buyers shopping for a midrange 65-inch TV should expect to spend $500-$1,000. You can find 65-inch QLED TVs in this price range that offer advanced picture quality features, like local dimming, and good brightness performance that can reach 600-1,000 nits.

    Buyers who want an upper-midrange or high-end 65-inch TV should be looking to spend $1,000-$3,000. You can find advanced 65-inch QLED TVs that deliver up to 2,000 nits of brightness in the $1,000-$2,000 range, while the best OLED TVs with infinite contrast ratios tend to sell for $1,600-$3,000.  

    How far should you sit from a 65-inch 4K TV?

    The benefits of a 4K screen become most noticeable when you sit at a distance of around one to 1.5 times the size of your TV. At that distance, you'll be able to see the extra detail that 4K resolution offers compared to a 1080p high-definition screen. The ideal viewing distance for a 65-inch 4K TV should be between 5.4 and 8.1 feet from your TV.    

    You can sit farther away and still enjoy a 65-inch 4K TV, but that range will yield the best visible detail. Otherwise, you'll want a bigger screen to get the full benefits of 4K.  

    Should you purchase a 65-inch 8K TV?

    Though some brands do sell 65-inch 8K TVs, we don't recommend buying one in this screen size. When viewing it at a reasonable distance, 65 inches just isn't big enough to show off the benefits of an 8K resolution screen. 

    A 75-inch or larger 8K TV is better suited for highlighting the additional detail you get with 8K resolution, but even then, the benefits are subtle. We recommend saving money and going with a 4K model if you want a 65-inch TV.

    Do 65-inch TVs have good sound quality?

    Though some 65-inch TV models have better built-in speaker systems than smaller displays, performance is still limited compared to a separate soundbar or surround sound setup. Speakers integrated into most TVs use small audio drivers that can lead to weak bass and muddy dialogue. 

    To get better audio performance, we recommend buying a soundbar. For the most immersive experience, you should look for models that support Dolby Atmos, a spatial audio format that can spread sound effects around your room.

    Check out our guides to the best soundbars, best budget soundbars, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars for our top picks.  

    Do TVs include free access to local networks?

    The best 65-inch TVs all feature integrated digital tuners that allow you to hook up an antenna (sold separately) to receive free over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts. So long as you have good reception in your area, you can watch local channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox without a cable subscription. 

    Check out our guide to the best indoor TV antennas to see our top recommendations. 

    Best overall: Samsung S90C
    The Samsung S90C television with an undersea shot on the screen, captured from the side.
    The Samsung S90C has better color performance than other 65-inch OLEDs in its price range.

    When it comes to balancing performance and price, Samsung's S90C is the best 65-inch TV — and our pick for the best TV period — that you can buy. For the money, there simply isn't a better display out there.

    Unlike OLED TVs from LG, the S90C uses quantum dots to enable brighter colors. Coupled with the TV's infinite contrast ratio, the S90C's quantum dot filter leads to gorgeous high dynamic range (HDR) images. We measured an impressive peak brightness of around 1,000 nits during our testing. You'd have to pay $700 more to get a 65-inch OLED that delivers better picture performance than this.

    And though it's disappointing that Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision, which can provide a more finely-tuned HDR image, the S90C's HDR10 and HDR10+ capabilities are so strong that we don't think most people will notice a difference. The TV also upscales lower-resolution content well, though it can't quite match the picture processing you'd get on a high-end Sony display. 

    Whether you're watching 4K movies in a dark room or just flipping through cable channels in a bright living room, the S90C looks fantastic. The smart TV interface is solid as well, though we still prefer other platforms like Roku OS. On the plus side, Samsung's operating system is the only smart TV platform supporting Xbox Game Pass so that you can stream high-end games without a console. The TV can even support a high 144Hz refresh rate when paired with a gaming PC.

    Read our Samsung S90C OLED 4K TV review.

    Best on a budget: Hisense U6K
    A screenshot from The Mandalorian on the Hisense U6K.
    Hisense's U6K is the most affordable 65-inch Mini LED TV you can buy.

    Hisense's U6K is proof that you can still snag a great 65-inch TV on a budget. Though there are some performance tradeoffs compared to our more expensive picks, the U6K delivers incredible value at this size.

    This budget-friendly TV uses a QLED display with local dimming and quantum dots. And while you might find some similarly priced options from competitors with those features, the U6K is the only TV in its price range that also uses Mini LED technology. Mini LEDs can enable more precise control of a TV's dimming zones to produce better contrast and less blooming. 

    The U6K's dimming performance is great for its class, but its black levels aren't as deep as you'd see on more expensive sets. The U6K also has limited brightness compared to high-end QLEDs, so it's not as good for rooms that let in a lot of light. 

    But at a peak of around 600 nits, we found that the TV can still deliver highlights with just enough pop to show off the benefits of high dynamic range content. And thanks to its quantum dot filter, it delivers an expanded range of colors when watching HDR programs. You'll just want to be watching those programs from a centered view since colors and contrast faded when we sat off to the side in our testing. However, this level of off-axis performance is the norm for TVs in this price range.

    For a common sale price of around $500-$550, there simply isn't another 65-inch TV that balances price and performance quite like the U6K. 

    Read our Hisense U6K 4K TV review

    Best midrange model: Hisense U7K
    A Hisense U7K 4K TV displaying its Gaming Mode Pro menu on screen.
    The Hisense U7K delivers bright HDR performance and a high refresh rate for a great price.

    You can find plenty of 65-inch TVs in the $800 price range, but few deliver all the picture quality perks that you get with Hisense's U7K. Like the U6K, the U7K uses quantum dots for wide color support and a Mini LED backlight, but this model steps things up with more dimming zones and a brighter picture. 

    With a peak brightness of around 1,000 nits, the U7K gets plenty bright and delivers great HDR performance. It supports all major formats, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Contrast is also great for a QLED thanks to the TV's Mini LEDs and local dimming, which enables it to adjust brightness across precise zones. 

    Black levels are also excellent for a TV of this type, but while reviewing the set, we found local dimming fluctuations to be a bit more noticeable than on pricier QLEDs. The U7K's Google TV interface can lag a little, too, and the display has mediocre viewing angles, so this isn't the best 65-inch TV for viewers who plan to sit off-center from their display. We recommend going with an OLED TV or one of Samsung's high-end QLEDs, like the QN90C, to get better off-axis quality.  

    But considering its low price, it's hard to find much fault with the U7K's picture performance. It even manages to pack in a 120Hz panel that can go up to 144Hz with a PC for high-frame-rate gaming. If you just want a great all-around 65-inch QLED for under $1,000, the U7K should be at the top of your list. 

    Read our Hisense U7K 4K TV review.

    Best for home theaters: Sony A95L
    An angled view of a Sony A95L 4K OLED TV on a TV stand displaying the Google TV home page with an image from "The Marvels" on the screen.
    Sony's A95L has the best picture quality of any 65-inch TV on the market.

    Sony's A95L OLED is built for home theater enthusiasts. It's expensive, but the TV beats the Samsung S90C's picture performance in every way. In fact, it edges out the picture performance of every other 4K TV on the market.

    Compared to its already impressive predecessor, the A95K, the A95L offers a big upgrade in one key area: peak brightness. We measured a peak of around 1,500 nits with the TV set in its most accurate picture mode. That's a 50% increase over the previous model and the highest brightness performance we've ever seen on an OLED. This lets the TV display specular highlights with more realistic intensity when watching HDR content that's graded beyond 1,000 nits. 

    The A95L also sets itself apart from competitors thanks to Sony's proprietary picture processing powered by the company's "Cognitive Processor XR." Though that sounds like marketing jargon, this tech does actually make a difference when it comes to optimizing the TV's images. Its HDR tone mapping is also more accurate than Samsung's, and it supports Dolby Vision, so you'll get superior high dynamic range performance.  

    The display complements its high-end picture with a premium design with a unique stand that can be attached in a low- or high-profile configuration. Low allows the TV to sit flush with your entertainment console, while high gives you enough room to put a soundbar in front. 

    The A95L also boasts reliable Google TV streaming and comes with a webcam that can be used for video calls and gesture controls, which is a cool extra perk. From image quality to design, the A95L fully earns its premium status. We do wish it had more HDMI 2.1 ports and a 144Hz mode for PC gaming, but those omissions are minor compared to everything the A95L does right. Though most people will be satisfied with a less expensive TV, the A95L is ideal for shoppers willing to pay a premium to get the best movie-watching experience.

    Best for high brightness: TCL QM8
    Waves crashing over rocks displayed on a TCL QM8 TV
    The TCL QM8 can reach a whopping 2,000 nits of peak brightness.

    If you want a bright display, the TCL QM8 is easily one of the best 65-inch TVs you can buy. The QM8's QLED panel can deliver a peak of around 2,000 nits, which makes it among the brightest TVs on the market. This impressive brightness makes HDR images pop while enabling better SDR performance in rooms that let in a lot of ambient light. 

    Of course, it's not enough for a TV to just get really bright. A display must also have excellent control over its light output to maintain great image quality. And thankfully, the QM8 does just that. With its Mini LED backlight and local dimming capabilities, the TV is able to precisely adjust its contrast to produce deep black levels and vibrant specular highlights, and we didn't encounter any notable blooming around bright objects during our review. You also get extensive gaming features, with 144Hz support when paired with a PC.

    On the downside, like most QLED TVs, the QM8's viewing angles are mediocre, which causes colors to fade and contrast to distort if you sit to the side of the display. And though the TV looks fantastic in bright rooms thanks to its high light output, we noticed that its anti-reflective coating can cause a rainbow-streak effect when it reflects certain overhead lights. If you want a similarly bright 65-inch QLED without these issues, we recommend the Samsung QN90C, but you'll have to pay at least $500 more. 

    The QM8 uses the Google TV operating system with access to popular streaming apps, and it includes a Google Assistant voice remote. Navigation is snappy, and performance is a bit smoother than what we encountered on the Hisense U8K, which is the QM8's direct competitor. However, we did run into an odd WiFi issue with our internet setup that caused false "WiFi Not Connected" messages to pop up. This appears to be an isolated problem, though, and not one that other customers have experienced. 

    Despite minor quirks, the TCL QM8 is a true standout for the money, with a bright QLED panel that offers high-end image quality for a midrange price. 

    Read our TCL QM8 4K TV review

    Best designer display: Samsung Frame TV
    A Samsung Frame TV displaying a painting of water lilies while hanging on a wall.
    Samsung's Frame TV looks like a piece of art on your wall.

    The Samsung Frame TV is perfect for buyers who want a 65-inch display that can blend seamlessly into their living room decor. Built with an emphasis on design, the TV features interchangeable bezels and a matte screen that can make it look like a piece of art hanging on your wall.

    The bezels come in different styles that magnetically attach to the display. The Frame also comes with a Slim-Fit Wall Mount that lets you hang it flush against your wall. And unlike most TVs, the Frame uses a separate One Connect Box to house all of its ports, so you just need one cable running from the display. If you need to connect a cable receiver, streaming device, or gaming console, you simply hook those up to the TV's external box, which gets rid of all those unsightly wires on your wall.  

    The screen features a matte finish rather than the glossy look of most modern TVs. This helps reduce reflections and gives the Frame a canvas-like appearance. The Frame also has an "Art Mode," which lets it display paintings, photos, or other images when not in use as a TV. Built-in motion sensors can be activated so the Art Mode turns on when the TV senses someone in the room. You can use your own images or have the Frame cycle through art from Samsung's Art Store (subscription required).

    But while the Frame's design is high-end, its picture quality is a mixed bag. The QLED panel offers wide color support, but brightness is limited compared to Samsung's top QLEDs. It also lacks local dimming, which results in the worst contrast and black-level performance of any 65-inch TV in this guide. 

    The Frame isn't geared toward wowing you with high dynamic range imagery. Instead, it's meant to appeal to buyers who want a 65-inch display that can serve as both a design piece for their living room and a capable smart TV for casual viewing. And in that sense, it excels.

    Best OLED for wall mounting: LG G3
    An LG G3 4K OLED TV hanging on a wall above a soundbar and TV stand across a green couch in a living room during the day.
    The G3 OLED can be wall mounted with virtually no gap.

    Those who want a design-focused 65-inch TV that also manages to deliver top-notch home theater performance should check out the LG G3. 

    Like the Samsung Frame, it has a thin profile and a flush wall mount so that you can hang it on your wall with virtually no gap. But unlike the Frame, the G3 uses an OLED panel for superior picture quality with much better contrast, black levels, and viewing angles. You do miss out on the Frame's matte screen, separate connection box, and interchangeable bezels, but the jump in image performance is substantial.

    And despite not using quantum dots like high-end OLEDs from Sony and Samsung, the G3 is one of the brightest OLEDs on the market, coming second only to Sony's more expensive A95L. This high brightness is also what sets it apart from its fantastic predecessor, the G2 OLED TV. During our tests, we measured a peak of around 1,470 nits on the G3, while the G2 topped out at around 1,000.

    But while the G3 looks gorgeous on a wall, it's not a top pick if you plan to put it on an entertainment console. It doesn't even come with a stand, so you'd have to buy one separately, which adds to the cost, and we don't like how the panel tilts back slightly when it's attached to its stand. The G3 is still a great value for its performance, but you're better off sacrificing brightness and going with the less expensive S90C if you want a 65-inch OLED that comes with a stand. 

    How we test 65-inch TVs
    Side view of an LG G2 OLED's webOS interface menu
    We evaluate key factors like smart TV navigation and picture quality on every 65-inch display we test.

    To pick the best 65-inch TVs for our guide, we used a combination of hands-on testing and research bolstered by more than a decade's worth of expertise covering the home entertainment product industry. When we test displays, we evaluate them for general picture clarity, contrast performance, HDR peak brightness, color, off-axis viewing, smart TV interface, and value for the money. 

    Brightness is measured using an X-Rite iDisplay Plus colorimeter. Other objective display capabilities are evaluated using test patterns found on the Spears & UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc. 

    To get a sense of real-world performance, we also watch scenes from movies and TV shows with clips specifically selected to emphasize a display's black levels, highlights, color capabilities, and upscaling. Our demo material includes a mix of 4K, 1080p high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) content from streaming devices, cable TV, and Blu-ray discs. 

    The best 65-inch TVs will also have excellent smart TV features, so we test overall navigation speed and app stability, as well as voice search, digital assistant integration, and extra perks like game streaming support. 

    65-inch TV FAQs
    The screen of the Samsung S90C showing the Tizen interface.
    We think 65 inches is the ideal size for buyers who want a big-screen display that can still fit in most living rooms.

    Is it worth buying a 65-inch TV?

    If you have the space for it, we think 65 inches is the ideal size to consider when shopping for a new TV, especially a 4K model. Many brands use 65 inches as their flagship size to show off their best 4K TVs, and this size is great for delivering big-screen immersion without taking up too much room.

    However, you can still find excellent TV models in smaller sizes if you need something more compact. Check out our guide to the best 55-inch TVs for our top picks at that size.  

    How much should you spend on a 65-inch TV?

    Exactly how much you should spend on a 65-inch TV depends on your viewing needs. The best 65-inch TVs range in price from around $500 to more than $3,000. You can also find cheaper entry-level 65-inch TVs for under $400, but we generally recommend paying a bit more to get one of the options we highlight above.

    Buyers shopping for a midrange 65-inch TV should expect to spend $500-$1,000. You can find 65-inch QLED TVs in this price range that offer advanced picture quality features, like local dimming, and good brightness performance that can reach 600-1,000 nits.

    Buyers who want an upper-midrange or high-end 65-inch TV should be looking to spend $1,000-$3,000. You can find advanced 65-inch QLED TVs that deliver up to 2,000 nits of brightness in the $1,000-$2,000 range, while the best OLED TVs with infinite contrast ratios tend to sell for $1,600-$3,000.  

    How far should you sit from a 65-inch 4K TV?

    The benefits of a 4K screen become most noticeable when you sit at a distance of around one to 1.5 times the size of your TV. At that distance, you'll be able to see the extra detail that 4K resolution offers compared to a 1080p high-definition screen. The ideal viewing distance for a 65-inch 4K TV should be between 5.4 and 8.1 feet from your TV.    

    You can sit further away and still enjoy a 65-inch 4K TV, but that range will yield the best level of visible detail. Otherwise, you'll want a bigger screen to get the full benefits of 4K.  

    Should you purchase a 65-inch 8K TV?

    Though some brands do sell 65-inch 8K TVs, we don't recommend buying one in this screen size. 65 inches just isn't big enough to really show off the benefits of an 8K resolution screen when viewing it at a reasonable distance. 

    A 75-inch or larger 8K TV is much better suited for highlighting the additional detail you get with 8K resolution, but even then, the benefits are subtle. We recommend saving money and going with a 4K model if you want a 65-inch TV.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Where I’d invest $7,000 in ASX dividend stocks right now

    A young smiling couple out hiking enjoy a view from the top of the mountains.

    Looking for some welcome extra passive income from ASX dividend stocks?

    Well then, you really are living in the lucky country.

    The ASX offers a range of high-quality dividend stocks you may wish to add to your portfolio.

    And unlike many international exchanges, like stock markets in the United States, many ASX-listed companies pay franked dividends. That can come in quite handy when it comes time to pay the ATO its pound of flesh each year.

    If I had a spare $7,000 to invest right now, I’d lean towards buying larger companies listed on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). ASX 200 dividend stocks tend to have less volatile share price moves than their smaller peers. And many have lengthy track records of delivering reliable passive income to their shareholders.

    I’d also prefer companies that pay franking credits. And I’d aim to invest in ASX dividend stocks that I believe will grow their payouts over the time they’re in my portfolio without sacrificing share price growth.

    With $7,000 to invest, I’d likely only buy two stocks right now to get a decent exposure without burning too much on brokerage fees.

    You’ll notice both these companies operate in distinctly different sectors. Over time, I’d look to build up my income portfolio to 10 or so stocks for some proper diversification.

    With that said…

    Two ASX dividend stocks I’d buy now for passive income

    The first ASX dividend stock I’d buy for passive income now is ASX 200 bank stock Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

    ANZ reported its half-year results on Tuesday.

    The big four bank’s cash profit was down 1.0% year on year to $3.55 billion. However, management pleased shareholders by raising the interim dividend by 2.5%. That came in at 83 cents per share, franked at 65%.

    The good news is there’s still time to grab that payout. Though not much!

    ANZ shares will trade ex-dividend on Monday. Meaning if I want to bank that passive income, I’d need to own shares at market close today. I can then expect to be paid on 1 July.

    Atop the interim dividend, ANZ paid a partly franked final dividend of 94 cents per share on 22 December.

    This equates to a full-year payout of $1.77 per share.

    At yesterday’s closing price of $28.79, that works out to a yield (partly trailing, partly pending) of 6.15%.

    Which brings us to the second ASX dividend stock I’d buy now with my spare $7,000, ASX 200 oil and gas stock Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS).

    Woodside’s dividends have come down over the past 12 months amid lower energy prices. The company was also struggling with regulatory approvals for its massive offshore Scarborough Energy Project.

    But Scarborough is now proceeding to plan again, and the oil price is firming up.

    The outlook for share price and income growth from this ASX dividend stock also improved yesterday. That followed Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King’s strong support for the long-term role of Australian gas in providing jobs and energy and helping the nation and its trading partners through the global energy transition.

    As for the past 12 months, Woodside paid an interim dividend of $1.243 per share on 28 September and a final dividend of 91.7 cents per share on 4 April, both fully franked.

    At yesterday’s closing price of $28.10, this ASX dividend stock trades on a fully franked trailing yield of 7.69%.

    The post Where I’d invest $7,000 in ASX dividend stocks right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 41 essential items an Army artillery soldier brings to battle

    We got an inside look at how new United States Army field artillery soldiers are trained at the Field Artillery School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 

    Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Driscoll, a cannon crew member instructor, walked us through 41 essential items an artillery soldier would bring on a mission.

    While some of Driscoll's gear is used by other units in the US Army, he showcased artillery-specific items like the M2 collimator and the fire-control computer.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Biden’s threat to cut off weapons for Israel isn’t the same as what got Trump impeached

    Donald Trump holds handwritten notes denying a "quid-pro-quo" in response to testimony during an impeachment inquiry. President Joe Biden is separately pictured at an event in Wisconsin.
    Some Republicans have tried to compare then-President Donald Trump's treatment of Ukraine aid to President Joe Biden's vow to cut off offensive weapons to Israel.

    • Some Republicans are raising the prospect of impeaching Joe Biden.
    • Sen. Tom Cotton compared Biden's threat to withhold weapons to Israel to Trump's first impeachment.
    • There are numerous differences between Biden's comments and how Trump handled Ukraine aid.

    Some Republicans and conservatives are so aghast that President Joe Biden is threatening to withhold offensive weapons from Israel that they are raising the specter of impeachment.

    "Now some people say Joe Biden is doing this for reelection, which would be bad enough," Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, told reporters at a news conference slamming Biden's comments. "It would also, I have to add, be grounds for impeachment under the Democrats' Trump-Ukraine standard — withholding foreign aid to help one's reelection. Only with Joe Biden, it's true."

    Biden signaled on Wednesday that he had lost patience with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet's leadership of the nation's war against Hamas. He emphasized his red line if Israeli forces launch a major invasion of Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, where millions are sheltering amid the war. Biden said if such a major invasion happens, the US will not supply Israel "weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities."

    Biden also confirmed that his administration has already delayed a shipment of thousands of bombs. Israel has already gone into Rafah, but Biden characterized their current level of involvement as short of his red line.

    Republicans have torched the president over his warning. Some, including Cotton, have gone so far as to compare his actions to then-President Trump's decision to pause aid to Ukraine temporarily. House Democrats impeached Trump for his actions.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Not everyone is sold. Cotton. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a noted Trump ally, cautioned that while someone could "make a good argument" in favor of impeachment, that was not his goal.

    "I didn't come here to impeach the president," Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters at the same news conference. "I came to here to let everyone know we don't agree with this decision."

    It's worth remembering what specifically got Trump in trouble. There are numerous differences between then and now.

    A government watchdog found Trump broke the law.

    The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog, formally concluded that the Trump administration broke the law in withholding congressionally approved aid to Ukraine. The watchdog concluded that Trump violated a Nixon-era law by withholding about $214 million in defense aid. The Trump White House disputed the report, but the office was unmoved by its defense.

    "Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," the watchdog concluded.

    It's unlikely that Biden would be found to have violated the law if the White House spent the congressionally approved aid on Israel by the end of the fiscal year in September, according to a defense policy expert.

    "The fact that Congress has enacted money to support Israel means the president has to spend it," Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Washington DC-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider. "So basically, he's going to have to spend that money on Israel as Congress appropriated, but he doesn't have to do that today."

    Cancian did caution that the current bomb shipment Biden has paused likely has a different deadline, but it's not immediately clear which tranche of money that falls under. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US sends roughly $3.3 billion to Israel a year, mostly through grants that Israel must, in turn, use to purchase US military goods and services.

    And it wasn't just about the letter of the law. One of House Democrats' impeachment articles cited a "scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit." Trump's withholding of aid wasn't the offense alone.

    The issue was whether Trump took official action, delaying aid to benefit a private scheme to get the Ukraine government to help dig up dirt on Hunter Biden. Trump's EU ambassador, Gordon Sondland, later confirmed a quid-pro-quo did take place.

    Republicans have accused Biden of withholding weapons due to concerns about his reelection. Multiple Republicans cited the president's standing in Michigan, a key swing state, where over 100,000 people voted "uncommitted" in the state's Democratic presidential primary in an organized campaign to protest Biden's support of Israel.

    "Why is it on hold? To appease his liberal base in places like Dearborn, Michigan, because Joe Biden is in trouble in Michigan," Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the leader of the Senate GOP's campaign arm, told reporters.

    Biden has repeatedly expressed concern about civilians dying during the war. According to Gaza health officials, about 34,000 people, many of them women and children, have been killed there. US allies — the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — have all expressed concern about an invasion of Rafah.

    Other presidents have paused weapons shipments.

    President Ronald Reagan blocked the transfer of F-16s to Israel in 1983 when its forces were in Lebanon. He cited a belief that doing so could violate the law, according to The New York Times. President George H.W. Bush also threatened loan guarantees in 1991 when then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir wouldn't abide by his desired limitation on funding for settlements on occupied territory.

    Trump himself was involved in another dispute. His administration withheld a $105 million package to support the Lebanese Armed Forces. Trump's delay occurred around when Congress was already probing his actions related to Ukraine.

    This doesn't mean there won't be costs for Biden.

    Biden relied on a bipartisan coalition to pass a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. House Speaker Mike Johnson took a political risk in backing the package with little changes after House conservatives had threatened his future if he tried to pass additional Ukraine aid. (On Wednesday, Johnson easily survived a push led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, to oust him from power.)

    Johnson has heavily criticized Biden's move.

    "What the President is doing here is not only defying the will of Congress, to your point, we just voted on this several days ago," Johnson said on CNBC. "But he's also trying to dictate, I guess, and micromanage the war, the defense effort in Israel, as a condition of supplying the weapons that we all know that they desperately need."

    That said, while Biden will need bipartisan support to keep the government funded in September, he likely will not ask for more Ukraine aid anytime soon

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

    A young man sits at his desk working on his laptop with a big smile on his face due to his ASX shares going up and in particular the Computershare share price

    On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ran out of steam and sank deep into the red. The benchmark index fell 1% to 7,721.6 points.

    Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:

    ASX 200 poised to rebound

    The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note thanks to a strong session on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 19 points or 0.25% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 0.85%, the S&P 500 rose 0.5%, and the NASDAQ was 0.3% higher.

    Oil prices rise

    ASX 200 energy shares such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) could have a good finish to the week after oil prices edged higher overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.8% to US$79.60 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 0.7% to US$84.19 a barrel. Oil prices have been pushing higher since the US revealed lower than expected stockpiles.

    Life360 results

    The Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) share price will be one to watch when the location technology company releases its first quarter update. Last month, the company revealed that it had delivered record numbers during the quarter. This includes increasing its global monthly active users (MAU) by 4.9 million to 66.4 million. However, it didn’t reveal what impact this had on its revenue and earnings. That will be unveiled with today’s update.

    Gold price rises

    ASX 200 gold shares including Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a very good session after the gold price surged higher overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 1.3% to US$2,352.9 an ounce. This was driven by the release of US jobs data, which was supportive of rate cuts.

    Sell CBA shares

    Goldman Sachs has run the ruler over the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) quarterly update. Unfortunately, the broker has seen nothing to change its mind that the banking giant’s shares are overvalued at current levels. It has reiterated its sell rating with an improved price target of $82.61. It said: “While CBA’s volume momentum in housing lending has improved and BDDs charges remain benign, we do not believe this justifies the extent of its valuation premium to peers.”

    The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group and Life360. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Is it time to start buying up ASX small-cap shares?

    Kid putting a coin in a piggy bank.

    ASX small-cap shares have a history of being volatile, but it’s also the place where we can find the major winners of tomorrow. After everything that’s happened recently, is this the right time to hunt for hidden gems?

    Names like Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) and REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA) were all very small businesses over a decade ago. Now they’re all multi-billion dollar companies. Not every company will turn out as successful as that, but the small end of the market can be an exciting hunting ground.

    Difficult environment for ASX small-cap shares

    The market has faced a lot of disruption and volatility over the last two or so years because of elevated inflation and higher interest rates.

    Fund manager Monash Investors has suggested over the last two years it has taken the market longer than usual to reward stocks that experience a (positive) step change in their outlook. This is because of a lower risk tolerance due to the “upward momentum in inflation and interest rates“.

    In this situation, Monash Investors said, the ASX large-cap stocks have tended to do well because of their “strong balance sheets, more stable businesses and better share market liquidity“.

    Inflation has supposedly largely benefited the revenue growth and profits of large companies, which are “more likely than small companies to have the pricing power to pass on inflationary pressures to preserve, or even grow, their margins”.

    Is this the time to invest?

    Monash Investors certainly thinks so, commenting:

    However, now that inflation is moderating and the market is anticipating interest rate cuts, we are moving into a much more favourable environment for small caps. Looking forward the large cap stocks generally have modest growth outlooks, while the headwinds to small cap growth are abating. If history is any guide to the future, investors will increasingly look to invest in the smaller end of the market.

    Some of the positions that appeared to be in the Monash Investors Sml Companies Trust (Hedge Fund) (ASX: MAAT) portfolio within the last couple of months included Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG), Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX: CCP), Austin Engineering Ltd (ASX: ANG), NRW Holdings Limited (ASX: NWH) and Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND).

    I recently wrote two articles, here and here, about ASX small-cap shares that I thought (and still think) look like excellent longer-term opportunities for investors. I’ve already bought two of them for my portfolio.

    The post Is it time to start buying up ASX small-cap shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Altium and Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Altium, Johns Lyng Group, Pro Medicus, and REA Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Johns Lyng Group, Pro Medicus, and REA Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Trump’s ‘Access Hollywood’ tape prompted RNC to discuss replacing him as a candidate, his former assistant testifies

    Donald Trump at his New York criminal hush-money trial.
    Donald Trump at his New York criminal hush-money trial.

    • Former White House assistant Madeleine Westerhout testified Thursday in Trump's hush-money trial.
    •  The "Access Hollywood" tape sent the RNC reeling, she testified of working there at the time.
    • Westerhout said RNC officials were so concerned, they began planning how to replace Trump.

    The "Access Hollywood" tape was so damaging to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign that the Republican National Committee began planning how to replace him as the GOP's presidential candidate, his ex-executive assistant testified on Thursday.

    Madeleine Westerhout, who worked as an assistant to a top RNC official before she served as Trump's assistant in the White House, described the post-tape tumult to the jury in Trump's New York criminal hush-money trial.

    "There were conversations about — if it would be — how it would be possible to replace him as a candidate if it came to that," she testified.

    The notorious 2005 tape, which circulated ahead of the 2016 presidential election, was highly damaging to the Trump campaign, prosecutors have told jurors. In it, Trump brags about grabbing women. "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…grab 'em by the p—y."

    Trump's team has tried, in openings and in their cross-examination of DA witnesses, to brush the payment off as something he did to protect his family from learning of Stormy Daniels' allegations.

    But Westerhout's testimony bolsters the DA theory that paying off Daniels was an illegal campaign expense and that records were falsified as part of a conspiracy to influence the election.

    The former president's trial is in its third week of testimony. He's been charged with falsifying 34 business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment made to Daniels, a porn star, in the days before the 2016 election.

    Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have alleged that Trump orchestrated an illegal election-influencing scheme to purchase Daniels' silence over a one-time 2006 sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in his Lake Tahoe hotel suite.

    Trump has vehemently denied having sex with Daniels.

    In a court filing before the historic trial began, prosecutors wrote that the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape "caused a panic within the campaign about defendant's electoral prospects and ultimately served as the catalyst for consummating the Stormy Daniels payoff."

    Trump's legal team has tried, in its opening statement and in their cross-examinations of DA witnesses, to brush the hush-money payment off as something Trump did to protect his family from learning of Daniels' allegations.

    The former president's lead attorney, Todd Blanche, argued in his opening statement that there was nothing wrong with Trump's then-"fixer" Michael Cohen paying Daniels off to protect Trump's brand and keep Daniels from embarrassing Trump's family.

    "I have a spoiler alert for you. It's called democracy," Blanche said at the time.

    Prosecutors say Trump falsified business documents throughout 2017, including in his first week in office, when they say he reimbursed Cohen for paying Daniels the hush money.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Google CEO responds to ‘woke AI’ criticisms after Gemini debacle: ‘We got it wrong’

    Sundar Pichai
    Sundar Pichai said Google "got it wrong" with Gemini's AI image generator rollout.

    • Google's CEO said "We got it wrong" in response to Gemini's AI debacle.
    • Sundar Pichai said that Google "overapplied" in an attempt to cater to a global user base.
    • Google has temporarily disabled Gemini's ability to generate images of people.

    Google's CEO reflected in a new interview on the company's Gemini AI image-generation debacle earlier this year, a controversy that drew backlash.

    The AI assistant was quickly mocked for its apparent reluctance to generate images of white people and recreating images of historical figures with inaccurate ethnicities and genders, like Asian Nazis and Black founding fathers. Some critics used it as an example of "woke AI."

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg in an interview published Wednesday that "we got it wrong" and it was a case in which good intentions went awry.

    Pichai said people from all over the world ask generic inquiries like "show me images of school teachers or doctors" and Google was trying to accommodate a global user base.

    "Obviously, the mistake was that we overapplied," Pichai said. "Including cases where it should've never applied so that was the bug."

    Following criticism of the issue, Google paused Gemini from generating AI images of people while it corrected the changes.

    The issue hasn't been fixed yet, and if you ask Gemini to generate a picture of the founding fathers, it responds, "We are working to improve Gemini's ability to generate images of people" and that it expects the feature to return soon.

    In February, Google DeepMind CEO said the image generator would return in a couple of weeks. Google didn't provide an update on when the feature will be readded.

    The Gemini chatbot has also faced some criticism in the past. Gemini has said it wouldn't promote meat or fossil fuels. Users on X have also complained that the chatbot inserts the word "diverse" into responses that don't call for it.

    "We are rightfully held to a high bar and I think we clearly take responsibility for it," Pichai said in the interview. "And we are going to get it right."

    Are you a Google employee? We want to hear from you. Email the reporter from a non-work device at aaltchek@insider.com

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Are Telstra shares a top buy for dividend income?

    Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares have been a popular pick for dividend income for a while. There are plenty of reasons why this could be the best time to invest for years.

    The ASX telco share is best known for its mobile network, but the business has a few other segments that also seem appealing to me. Before I get to that, let’s look at the dividend credentials of Telstra.

    Growing dividend

    The NBN transition was a difficult period for Telstra and its dividend, with the dividend and profit taking a hit.

    However, now that the business is through that challenging change, it’s seeing regular profit growth and dividend increases. That’s what I want to see from a good ASX dividend share, particularly in this period of elevated inflation – dividend growth can offset higher expenses in our personal lives.

    The Telstra interim dividend was increased by 5.9% to 9 cents per share. This translates into an annualised grossed-up dividend yield of 7%, which is materially more than what anyone can get from a savings account at the moment.

    Estimates on Commsec suggest it could pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.4% in FY25 and 7.8% in FY26.

    Infrastructure and data

    I think there is one key factor that will help Telstra continue to deliver profit growth and dividend growth for the foreseeable future. It’s the ongoing growth of subscriber numbers – it seems many people are attracted to the telco’s market-leading network reliability and coverage. That helps attract subscribers and allows the business to keep investing in its network, keeping it at the number one spot.

    There are two other promising areas that I’ll point to for the future of Telstra shares.

    The first is that it is working on growing its wireless home broadband offering. If it can get more people using this 5G-powered broadband, Telstra will be able to capture a lot of the margin that is currently going to the NBN. Higher profit margins could help grow the net profit after tax (NPAT).

    Another very promising development is the massive amount of data that is being used and processed in Australia (eg AI). That data has to get into Australia somehow, and Telstra owns a significant amount of subsea cable. Telstra is also investing in its own fibre network for extra capacity between capital cities. The huge growth of data centres could lead to more demand that Telstra carries through its networks, which is likely to be a boost for earnings over the long term.

    I think the Telstra share price is compelling for the company’s defensive nature. According to Commsec, Telstra shares are valued at 17x FY26’s estimated earnings. I think it’s a very good time to invest for the long-term.

    The post Are Telstra shares a top buy for dividend income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Apple’s bad ad wasn’t even an original idea

    A still from Apple's ad for its new iPad, which has been catching heat from critics.
    A still from Apple's ad for its new iPad, which has been catching heat from critics.

    • Apple is facing backlash for an iPad ad showing analog art tools getting crushed.
    • It's not even an original idea — LG used the same concept 15 years ago.
    • It didn't make waves at the time, perhaps when tech felt like less of a threat.

    Apple's been widely panned for an ad that shows time-tested artistic tools — paint, a piano, camera lenses — getting crushed in a hydraulic press.

    Cribbing a viral trend, the commercial was supposed to tout the creative promise of Apple's new iPad Pro.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntjkwIXWtrc?feature=oembed&w=560&h=315]

    But many viewers were just plain pissed. On X, for instance, Apple chief Tim Cook's post sharing the ad has been flooded with criticism.

    One commenter said the ad ironically served as a representation of how tech giants are squashing human creativity with AI. At the same time, Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham suggested Steve Jobs never would have okayed the ad on his watch.

    But it turns out, the ad wasn't even an original idea.

    Fifteen years ago, Korean electronics company LG used almost exactly the same concept in a UK spot for its Renoir camera phone.

    In that ad, musical instruments, computer monitors, studio lights, and paints are all crushed in a press — revealing the sleekly intact Renoir in conclusion.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcUAQ2i5Tfo?feature=oembed&w=560&h=315]

    Of course, there's no evidence Apple — known for its unique marketing prowess — copied LG's creative. It's more likely that the concept of crushing a bunch of different devices down into one product is a bit basic.

    It's also safe to say that back in 2008 — when technology felt more like a galvanizing opportunity than a looming threat — the ad didn't ignite nearly the same firestorm.

    Some YouTube commenters of yesteryear even seemed to really to like it.

    "Love this advert for some relly wierd reason," one viewer wrote in 2008.

    Another added at the time: "Anyone who has this phone, is really that good or just an excellent ad?

    Neither LG nor Apple immediately responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.

    Read the original article on Business Insider