Tag: News

• Russia's electronic warfare has repeatedly foiled American precision weapons in Ukraine. 
• These developments highlight the need for the US to develop solutions before any potential great-power conflict.
• Those could include different weapons, specific countermeasures, and the targeting of enemy jamming systems.

Russian electronic warfare has created problems for American-made precision weaponry in Ukraine, but Moscow is also showing its hand and telling the US what it needs solutions for to be ready for potential future fights.

Ukraine has employed US precision weapons, like the HIMARS-fired Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and air-launched Joint Direct Attack Munitions, throughout the war, but widespread Russian electronic warfare is regularly diminishing the effectiveness of these weapons.

Lt. Gen. Antonio Aguto, who is serving as the commander of Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, addressed the problem in December 2023, noting that electronic warfare directed at some of the US' "most precise capabilities is a challenge." Other US officials have identified these issues as well, adding that the US and Ukraine were working on solutions.

Any fixes developed to effectively counter the challenge posed by electronic warfare won't just benefit Ukraine. They'll also help the US solve problems it has long been concerned about as it prepares for the possibility of great-power conflict.

Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained to Business Insider that "the widespread GPS spoofing we see in Ukraine adds urgency to solving a problem DoD has long recognized: that wartime spoofing will reduce the effectiveness of its weapons."

Electronic warfare can be executed using cheap but effective technology, and both sides of the war are using it extensively. And these tactics are not used solely to foil precision-guided munitions. They can also be used to scramble the connection between an operator and a reconnaissance or strike drone.

Electronic warfare is a broad term that includes a variety of inexpensive options. Jamming is relatively straight-forward, Thomas Withington, an expert in electronic warfare and air defense and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said, explaining to BI that it involves "blasting a GNSS receiver with noise to cause it to lose the position, navigation, and timing signal that it received from the satellite."

Spoofing, on the other hand, involves sending false GNSS information to the weapon's navigation system, sending it off course or trajectory. Jamming is easier and can be done with cheaper equipment and engineers, while spoofing is likely to be used in more specific instances, such as hiding locations from the enemy.

Both serve different purposes, but in either case, the effects can be deeply problematic for precision weaponry.

Ukraine has managed to adapt to the challenge, in some cases, by engaging in jamming of its own or locating Russian electronic warfare sites and destroying them. Relying on alternative systems that don't depend on GPS or utilize other guidance systems, such as an inertial guidance system, helps bypass the problem. That's not always an option though.

Within the Russian military, there has likely been increased interest in employing electronic warfare in battle, especially over the past year or so, because it's so effective at countering US-provided precision weapons.

Precision systems — like Excalibur and GMLRS, which can be fired from US-provided M777 howitzers and HIMARS, respectively — are seeing shockingly decreased accuracy due to jamming.

"The philosophy behind weapons like Excalibur and JDAMs was that their reliance on GNSS, to an extent, was supposed to provide a level of precision," Withington told BI.

The capability and accuracy of those much-vaunted weapons are now in question, he said, noting that "not only has tactical and operational ramifications for the Ukrainians," but it also potentially raises questions about "the wider confidence others have in those systems."

Daniel Patt, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Congress back in March the 155mm GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shell "had a 70% efficiency rate hitting targets when first used in Ukraine" but "after six weeks, efficiency declined to only 6% as the Russians adapted their electronic-warfare systems to counter it."

Patt added that "the peak efficiency of a new weapon system is only about two weeks before countermeasures emerge." That is valuable information for the US as it prepares for potential future fights.

The war in Ukraine has, as a defense expert previously told BI, been an "intelligence bonanza" and is giving the US an opportunity to learn how its precision weapons perform under modern threats like electronic warfare. It's not theoretical. Instead, the US is watching a rival power engage its weapons in a real war.

Intelligence from the war builds on and likely advances years of research and discussion among US defense officials and experts about how electronic warfare will impact America's arsenal in a great power conflict and how the US will need to adapt.

Cancian said DoD has been working on overcoming these threats by focusing on options like using narrower signal bands or the generation of stronger signals that are able to burn through jamming attempts.

The threats, nevertheless, "remind us to be careful about expecting 'game changers,' though," he said. "The other side always develops countermeasures that reduce effectiveness."

Despite the challenges, the US shouldn't completely write off its precision weapons should it one day find itself in a war with another great power, be it Russia or China, which would almost certainly employ electronic warfare as well.

Withington said that "even if that jamming has been quite successful, the tactical imperative behind this is to work out a way to outflank the effectiveness of that electronic attack," noting that while a strong Russian jamming signal may be effective, it's also easier to detect and destroy.

At a media event earlier this month, Doug Bush, the Army's acquisition chief, said it wasn't surprising Russia was able to jam US weapons. He said it was part of a "constant cycle" of innovation on both sides, adding that the US was learning that "with any precision weapon, you want multiple ways to guide it to its target."

For some weapons, that's already in the works. Earlier this week, the US Air Force announced a contract for add-on seekers for its extended-range JDAMs, the goal being to improve the JDAM to resist electronic jamming and instead lock onto the source of the jamming, targeting it.

Bush said the Army had created a team focused on adapting its weapons to electronic warfare issues long before the war in Ukraine, signaling the Pentagon's clear understanding of the problem these capabilities pose.

Bush previously said in August 2023 that the Army was "fundamentally reinvesting in rebuilding our tactical electronic-warfare capability after that largely left the force over the last 20 years" and that the war in Ukraine had added "urgency" to those efforts.

Efforts to adapt precision weapons to the threat is just one facet of a multi-layered solution, Withington said. Other solutions to the problem involve using other weapons and prioritizing targeting the point of origin for electronic warfare signals early in a conflict.

"It is imperative that forces like the US and its allies see future battle in a case that they have to first establish electromagnetic superiority," he said, explaining that denying enemies from using the electromagnetic spectrum in any way would "massively degrade at the very least, if not prevent altogether" an enemy from interfering with its weapons.

Ultimately, though, as the US and Ukraine adjust to Russia's jamming and learn from the war, the "constant cycle" of innovation, as Bush said, will continue.

"The measure, counter-measure, counter-countermeasure that we're seeing in Ukraine is typical in war," Cancian said, adding that there is "no technology provides the ultimate advantage."

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The S95 series is Samsung's flagship OLED TV lineup. It offers high-end picture quality and is geared toward buyers willing to pay a premium for the brand's best performance. Right now, shoppers can choose between two S95 models: the 2023 S95C and 2024 S95D.

The S95D is meant to replace the S95C, but the latter will remain available until existing stock sells out. Both TVs have similar capabilities, but the S95D can get a bit brighter, and it has a new matte screen that significantly reduces glare and reflections. However, the older S95C costs much less, and its glossy screen has some unique perks that videophiles might prefer.  

To help you decide which high-end Samsung TV is best for your needs, I put both models head-to-head. I've been reviewing home entertainment products for over a decade, and my findings are based on hands-on testing time with each TV. Here's why I think the S95C remains a better buy for most people searching for a premium OLED. 

Samsung S95D vs. S95C: Picture performance

The S95D and S95C both use QD-OLED (OLED with quantum dots) panels, which enables them to produce pixel-level contrast control and a wide range of bright colors. They also offer excellent viewing angles so you can sit off to the side of the screen without noticing any drop in image quality. 

When watching actual movies and TV shows, both displays provide impressive high-dynamic-range (HDR) performance. But while both TVs are neck and neck in most picture quality aspects, there is one area where the S95D has a more notable edge over the S95C: peak brightness. In fact, the S95D is the brightest OLED TV I've ever measured. 

On a 10% HDR test pattern (a white box that takes up 10% of the screen), I measured a peak of around 1,360 nits on the S95C. On that same test pattern, I measured a peak of around 1,700 nits on the S95D. That's an increase of 340 nits or about 25%, which is a solid jump. 

That said, the S95D can only hit 1,700 nits briefly before dimming significantly. But since most highlights that need to get that bright (like an explosion in a movie) only appear on screen for quick flashes, this limitation isn't that big of a deal. 

Ultimately, the S95D's increased brightness gives it a slight advantage over the S95C for two reasons. One, it gives you more headroom to adjust the S95D's settings and pump up the screen's brightness to help combat issues with glare in rooms that let in a lot of light. And two, it enables the S95D to more accurately cover the full range of brightness that filmmakers intend when mastering HDR content that exceeds 1,000 nits. This means that extreme highlights can come through with a bit more detail and visual intensity on the S95D than they would on the S95C. 

But while the S95D's brightness performance is the kind of thing that home theater nerds like me geek out over, it's important to note that the real-world benefits of this extra luminance can be subtle. If you watch both TVs next to each other while set in their brightest modes or playing HDR movies with especially bright highlights and colors, you'll certainly see a difference. But for average TV viewing, the S95C's brightness remains sufficient.  

So, while the S95D does technically deliver superior image quality, I don't think its performance benefits are big enough to justify its more expensive price tag. The S95D will eventually come down in price, and the S95C will sell out, so this will become a moot point. But for now, it's hard to justify spending so much when you can still snag the S95C for around $1,000 less. 

Samsung S95D vs. S95C: Glare and reflections

Even more so than their brightness capabilities, the biggest difference between the S95D and S95C is how each TV handles reflections. The S95C uses a glossy screen, while the S95D uses a matte screen. Both have their pros and cons, but the S95D's matte coating offers a big improvement in reducing glare and reflections. 

Glossy screens, which are used in nearly every TV sold, can cause noticeable reflections in certain rooms. To combat this, manufacturers use different kinds of anti-reflective filters. The S95C's anti-reflective filter does a solid job for a screen of its type, but depending on where your windows and indoor lights are positioned, you could still run into issues with glare.

On the other hand, the S95D's matte screen virtually eliminates reflections and glare entirely. If you struggle with reflections in your room, the S95D is a game changer. The only other 4K sets with similar matte-screen coatings are Samsung's own Frame TV and Hisense's upcoming Canvas TV, but those models can't match the pixel-level contrast that the S95D's OLED panel produces.

Unfortunately, the S95D's matte screen has one notable side effect: it hurts black-level performance in a bright room. Though reflections and glare are dramatically reduced, black levels lose a bit of that deep, inky quality that OLEDs are known for and instead look slightly gray and hazy. 

This is especially true when displaying darker scenes, like the opening action sequence of "The Matrix." This scene starts in a dimly lit room and then moves outside at night. The darkest elements of the scene are meant to be pure black, but because of the S95D's glare-free coating, they take on a more cloudy look that flattens the distinction between shades of black and gray. This makes it harder to discern details in shadows. 

The S95C's anti-reflective filter isn't immune to this kind of side effect either, as it can cause a slight elevation of black levels and a faint pinkish hue in extremely bright rooms. But I never found those effects on the S95C noticeable during day-to-day viewing. In contrast, the elevated black levels caused by the S95D's matte screen are more pronounced and easier to notice.

So, when it comes to bright room viewing, there are clear tradeoffs with each TV. The S95D's matte screen can handle glare and reflections better than any other TV on the market, but the downside is that you get elevated black levels that can give some dark scenes a flat look. Conversely, while the S95C's glossy screen preserves deep black levels better in bright rooms, it's much more prone to showing reflections when hit with light from certain angles.  

As a big home theater enthusiast, I prefer the S95C's glossy screen since black-level performance is one of the most important aspects of preserving an accurate image. The matte screen is definitely helpful for certain use cases and could be ideal for specific setups, but I wish Samsung had implemented it on a step-down model rather than its 2024 flagship. Or better yet, offered it as an optional alternative.

Samsung S95D vs. S95C: Design and interface

Outside their screen coatings, the S95D and S95C have nearly identical physical designs. Both TVs have a thin profile that measures around 0.4 inches thick and use a separate One Connect Box to house all of their video and audio inputs instead of having those ports built into the panel.

The One Connect gives you more flexibility for cable management, and both models have four HDMI 2.1 ports and one ATSC antenna port. However, the S95C has an ATSC 3.0 port, while the S95D has been downgraded to an ATSC 1.0 port. ATSC 1.0 supports receiving HD broadcasts, while ATSC 3.0 can also support 4K broadcasts.

The switch to ATSC 1.0 is disappointing, but it's not as big a deal as it might sound. Actual 4K broadcasts are rare, and most people buying a high-end set like this rely on cable boxes or streaming services for live TV rather than digital antennas. Likewise, you can purchase a separate ATSC 3.0 tuner if needed. 

The One Connect Box can be slotted right onto the back of the TV stand to hide it from view. The metal stand itself is also very similar for both TVs, with a sturdy pedestal design.

Samsung's smart TV interface, which uses the Tizen operating system, has been slightly updated for the S95D versus the S95C. The S95D's layout has been tweaked and streamlined, and there's a new loading graphic when you open an app, but general functionality and features remain the same.

Samsung S95D vs. S95C: Price and availability

The 2024 S95D is meant to replace the 2023 S95C, but the S95C will remain available to purchase for as long as the existing inventory lasts. Though exact street prices fluctuate, the S95C is often on sale for as much as $1,100 less than the S95D. Both models are available in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch screen sizes, and here's how pricing compares for each option at the time of writing:

	Current S95C price	Current S95D price
55 inches	$1,900	$2,600
65 inches	$2,500	$3,400
77 inches	$3,700	$4,600

The S95D's price should gradually fall as the year goes on, and I expect to see big discounts during events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. By the time the holiday shopping season rolls around, prices for current- and previous-year TV models usually even out. It's important to remember that the S95C will get harder to find in the fall and winter as stock depletes.

The bottom line

The S95D and S95C are both impressive OLEDs, but the cheaper S95C remains a better value for most buyers in the market for a flagship Samsung TV. 

The pricier S95D technically offers better image quality with brighter HDR performance. But for typical use cases, I don't think it's worth the premium, while you can still find the S95C for less money. 

However, buyers specifically looking for a glare-free TV should consider paying extra for the S95D. It's the only high-end TV that can combat reflections this well. I generally prefer the superior black-level performance you get with the S95C's glossy screen, but the S95D's matte screen is uniquely suited for rooms where glare is a persistent issue. 

For more details on each TV, check out our full Samsung S95C review and our full Samsung S95D review. 

And for more TV recommendations, visit our guides to the best 4K TVs, best OLED TVs, and best Samsung TVs.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

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.

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). 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.  

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

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

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:

• Best 50-inch TVs
• Best 55-inch TVs
• Best 75-inch TVs
• Best 85-inch TVs 

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. 

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.

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

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.

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.

• Data analytics firm JD Power released its annual airline customer satisfaction study on Wednesday.
• Delta rated best first/business and premium economy cabins. Southwest won for best economy cabin.
• Overall, the study found traveler satisfaction driven most by desire for a safe and easy experience.

Delta Air Lines has reclaimed its crown as passengers' No. 1 pick for its first/business class, according to JD Power's newest airline rankings.

Delta regained the top spot after coming in second last year to JetBlue Airways. JetBlue fell to second place this year, followed by United Airlines.

JD Power released the annual North American Airline Satisfaction Study on Wednesday. It gauged consumer sentiment toward 11 major airlines in the US and Canada across three categories: first/business class, premium economy class, and economy/basic economy.

Delta's premium economy class claimed the top spot for the second year in a row, with Alaska Airlines in second place and American Airlines in third. Last year's runner's up, JetBlue, dropped to fourth place.

Southwest Airlines took top honors in the economy/basic economy segment for the third consecutive year, followed by Delta for the second year in a row. Allegiant Air finished in third place, up three spots from last year.

Air Canada, on the other hand, ranked last in customer satisfaction in the first/business class and premium economy categories. For the second consecutive year, Frontier Airlines finished last in the economy/basic economy segment with Spirit Airlines ranked one spot ahead.

JD Power also highlighted some other takeaways from the survey — specifically, how staffing and media attention can influence airline rankings.

"The big takeaway from this year's study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience," said JD Power senior managing director Michael Taylor in a statement."Airlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers."

The study also found that trust and ease of travel have superseded price as key driving factors for consumer satisfaction. According to JD Power, what's most important to customers, beyond the cost of a ticket, is simply to have a safe, drama-free flight.

Media coverage can significantly affect consumer trust in airlines, as well, the survey found. JD Power said consumers who reported seeing negative media coverage of an airline rated it much lower than others in terms of trust.

JD Power's 2024 study is based on responses from 9,582 passengers who had flown on a major North American airline within the previous month of completing the survey, which was conducted between March 2023 and March 2024.

Here's a closer look at how the 11 major North American airlines fared in each segment of the study.

• A Black airman was killed by police responding to a disturbance call in his apartment building.
• Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot six times by a Florida deputy in his home last week.
• A witness believes the officer was at the wrong apartment, the Fortson family's attorney said.

An attorney for the family of a Florida special operations airman who was shot and killed in his home by local police said Wednesday that officers responding to a reported disturbance may have entered the wrong apartment.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, who was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, was alone in his apartment May 3 when police burst through the door and fatally shot him six times, according to Ben Crump, an attorney representing Fortson's family.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office was responding to a disturbance between a man and woman in the apartment building, and deputies shot Fortson, who was Black, multiple times in the chest, according to police radio communications.

"The circumstances surrounding Roger's death raise serious questions that demand immediate answers from authorities, especially considering the alarming witness statement that the police entered the wrong apartment," Crump said. "The narrative released by law enforcement, which falsely suggests that Roger posed a threat, is deeply troubling and inconsistent with the details provided by that witness: Roger was home alone, causing no disturbance, when his life was tragically cut short by law enforcement."

The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the attorney's claims. The sheriff's office recently came under scrutiny after one of its deputies resigned following an internal investigation last year of an incident in which he fired his weapon multiple times at a detained suspect after mistaking the sound of an acorn hitting the roof of his patrol vehicle as a gunshot, GulfLive.com reported.

Fortson lived in an off-base residence, and his special operations squadron at Hurlburt Field in the Florida panhandle flies AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.

Crump said there was no disturbance and that Fortson was home alone on a video call with another person, who reported the airman heard a knock on the door.

Fortson, according to the witness, asked, "Who is it?" But he didn't receive an answer. After a subsequent "aggressive" second knock and seeing no one through the peephole, Fortson grabbed his legally owned gun, Crump detailed.

As Fortson was walking back to his living room, police entered the apartment and shot him. He reportedly said, "I can't breathe" while on the ground after being shot, Crump said, repeating a witness account of the event.

Publicly available police radio audio reviewed by Military.com reported a call for a disturbance at an apartment complex at 319 Racetrack Road around 4:30 p.m. local time.

"Don't have anything further than a male and female; it's all fourth party information from the front desk at the leasing office," a deputy said on the radio.

A few minutes later, another deputy called in to report "shots fired, suspect down," and called for emergency medical services.

"Multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, Black male," another deputy chimes in shortly after. Fortson was shot six times, Crump said in his statement.

No other details, including the circumstances of the disturbance that prompted the local deputies to visit the apartment building, were released. Fortson was taken to an area hospital, where he later died. No officers were harmed in the incident.

Fortson joined the Air Force on November 19, 2019, according to a copy of his service record provided to Military.com. He joined as an AC-130J gunner. Crump added that Roger graduated from high school with honors and had no criminal record.

The deputy involved was not identified in the news release and was "placed on paid administrative leave" pending the outcome of an investigation and administrative review, the sheriff's office said.

On Monday evening, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden released a statement saying the department was "saddened" by the incident and calling for further investigation into the shooting.

"I immediately placed the deputy on administrative leave and have asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct the investigation that is required in such incidents," Aden said. "The State Attorney's Office will also conduct an independent review. At this time, we humbly ask for our community's patience as we work to understand the facts that resulted in this tragic event."

The sheriff's office declined to provide Military.com the original 911 call and the police report into the incident, citing "the ongoing active investigation" in an emailed response.

"We are calling for transparency in the investigation into Roger's death and the immediate release of bodycam video to the family," Crump said. "His family and the public deserve to know what occurred in the moments leading up to this tragedy. We urge authorities to immediately stop demonizing Roger in their statements to the media. It's imperative to correct the record and acknowledge the wrongful entry into Roger's home."

Related: Special Operations Airman Shot and Killed by Florida Police During Disturbance in Apartment Building