How big is 85 inches, and who should buy one
An 85 inch 16:9 TV is about 74 inches wide and 42 inches tall, which is roughly six feet of screen. That is a large piece of furniture, and it only makes sense when you sit far enough back to take it in. The site's own viewing distance rule multiplies the distance from your eyes to the screen, in inches, by 0.745 for the THX 36 degree target and by 0.625 for the SMPTE 30 degree target. Run that backward for 85 inches and the THX distance is about 114 inches, or 9.5 feet, while the SMPTE distance is about 136 inches, or 11.3 feet.
In plain terms, an 85 inch TV is the right size if your main seat is roughly nine to eleven feet from the screen. At seven or eight feet it will feel overwhelming and you will see more of the compression in streaming video. At twelve feet or more it is a comfortable step up from a 75 inch set. If you sit closer than nine feet, look at our best TVs for home theater guide, which covers 55 to 85 inch sets, or consider a 75 inch model.
How we chose these six
We built this list from manufacturer specifications and the product details Amazon publishes for each model, not from a lab. Each TV is a 4K set that is in stock on Amazon as of this update, and each sits in a different price tier. We favored sets with local dimming, because at 85 inches a plain edge-lit panel shows uneven blacks and washed-out dark scenes more clearly than a smaller screen does. We also looked at how each manufacturer describes glare handling, HDMI and gaming support, and sound.
We do not publish ratings or test scores here. Where a number appears, such as a nit figure or a number of dimming zones, it is the manufacturer's own claim from the Amazon listing and it is labeled that way.
85 Inch TV Reviews
Hisense 85U8QG
Best OverallThe Hisense 85U8QG is a Mini-LED LCD TV. Hisense lists up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness and up to 5,600 local dimming zones, along with a native 165Hz panel, variable refresh rate for gaming, and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The listing also describes an Anti-Reflection Pro coating built into the liquid crystal layer to cut glare, and a 4.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos speaker system.
We put it first because 85 inches is a lot of screen to light well, and Mini-LED is the technology that does that most affordably. It gives you the punch for HDR movies and sports in a room with a window, and the local dimming keeps the blacks reasonable at night. If you game on a console or PC, the high refresh rate is a real advantage over cheaper big screens. It is not as polished in motion handling or upscaling as the Sony, which is why the Sony takes the premium slot.
- Mini-LED, up to 5,600 zones (maker claim)
- Up to 5,000 nits peak (maker claim)
- Native 165Hz, VRR
- Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Atmos
Pros: Very bright for the size, anti-reflection coating, strong gaming specs, wide HDR format support.
Cons: Built-in speakers are only fine for a big room; pair it with a soundbar or receiver. Off-angle contrast drops, as with most LCD sets.
TCL 85QM7L
Best Value Mini-LEDThe TCL 85QM7L uses what TCL calls SQD-Mini LED, a quantum-dot Mini-LED backlight with a color filter, and a native 144Hz panel. TCL describes up to 2,100 discrete dimming zones, an anti-reflective HVA panel, and an AIPQ Pro processor, with Google TV as the smart platform. Dolby Vision and HDR10 are supported.
It earns the value slot because it delivers Mini-LED contrast and a high refresh rate at a clear step below the Hisense and Sony. For a family room where the TV is on for sports, streaming and the occasional movie, it is hard to fault. If your movie nights happen in a fully dark room and you care about black levels above everything, the OLED below will look better, but it costs far more.
- SQD-Mini LED, up to 2,100 zones (maker claim)
- Native 144Hz
- Anti-reflective HVA panel
- Dolby Vision, HDR10, Google TV
Pros: Mini-LED picture at a mid-range tier, high refresh rate, anti-reflective panel, Google TV.
Cons: Fewer dimming zones than the Hisense; sound is basic and wants a soundbar.
Sony BRAVIA 7 K-85XR70
Best Premium PictureThe Sony BRAVIA 7 K-85XR70 is a Mini-LED QLED TV driven by Sony's XR Processor. Sony's listing describes XR Backlight Master Drive for contrast, XR Triluminos Pro for color, studio calibrated picture modes for Netflix and Prime Video, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, and PS5-specific features such as Auto HDR Tone Mapping. It runs Google TV.
This is the set we would buy if the TV is the centerpiece of a movie room. Sony's XR processing is built to upscale lower-resolution content, which matters more at 85 inches than on a small screen, because cable, streaming and older discs all get stretched further. It costs noticeably more than the Hisense and TCL, and for mixed daytime viewing the Hisense is the better buy. For a room you can dim, the Sony is the better picture.
- Mini-LED QLED with XR Backlight Master Drive
- XR Processor
- Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos
- Studio calibrated modes, PS5 features
Pros: Excellent processing and upscaling, calibrated picture modes, polished software and PS5 integration.
Cons: Premium tier for the size; you pay for processing as much as brightness.
LG C6 83 inch OLED
Best OLED (83 inch)The LG C6 is an OLED evo TV, and this listing is the 83 inch size, the largest the C series comes in. Because each pixel lights itself, black is truly black with no blooming around bright objects. LG's listing describes its a11 AI Processor, Brightness Booster Pro, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Filmmaker Mode, and gaming specs of up to 165Hz with G-Sync, FreeSync Premium and VRR.
We include it because for many movie fans the answer to "best TV" is OLED, and 83 inches is within two inches of an 85 inch LCD, so the comparison is fair. It has the best contrast in this guide in a dark room. The tradeoff is brightness and cost: an OLED will not fight a sunlit window the way the Hisense does, and the price is the highest here. Treat it as the movie-room pick, not the family-room pick.
- 83 inch OLED evo
- a11 AI Processor
- Dolby Vision, Atmos, Filmmaker Mode
- Up to 165Hz, G-Sync, FreeSync, VRR
Pros: Perfect black, wide viewing angles, excellent for movies and gaming, Filmmaker Mode.
Cons: 83 inches rather than 85; less suited to bright rooms; highest price here.
Sony BRAVIA 3 II K-85XR30M2
Best Sony for the MoneyThe Sony BRAVIA 3 II K-85XR30M2 is a standard LED-backlit 4K TV, not Mini-LED. Sony lists its XR Processor with AI scene recognition, XR Clear Image for noise reduction, 120Hz motion handling, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, and the same PS5 features as the BRAVIA 7. It runs Google TV with Gemini.
This is the set to look at if you like Sony's picture processing and clean look but not the price of the BRAVIA 7. The tradeoff is the backlight: an LED set without local dimming zones of the Mini-LED class has lower peak brightness and weaker contrast, which shows most in dark scenes. It is a fine choice for streaming, sports and casual movie watching in a room with some lighting.
- 85 inch LED, 4K
- XR Processor
- 120Hz, Motionflow XR
- Dolby Vision, Atmos, DTS:X
Pros: Sony processing at a lower tier, good motion handling for sports, PS5 features.
Cons: Not Mini-LED, so contrast and peak brightness trail the other mid-range options.
TCL 85QM64L
Best BudgetThe TCL 85QM64L is a QD-Mini LED TV with up to 500 local dimming zones according to TCL's listing, a native 144Hz panel with VRR and ALLM, and Onkyo 2.1 speakers with a built-in 20W subwoofer. It supports Dolby Atmos and runs Fire TV with Alexa.
It is the budget pick because it gives you the 85 inch size and a Mini-LED panel at the lowest tier on this page. The zone count is far below the Hisense and TCL QM7L, so dark scenes and HDR highlights will not look as refined, but for sports and streaming on a big wall it makes the size accessible. Add a soundbar if dialogue matters to you.
- QD-Mini LED, up to 500 zones (maker claim)
- Native 144Hz, VRR, ALLM
- Onkyo 2.1 with 20W subwoofer
- Fire TV, Dolby Atmos
Pros: Lowest tier for 85 inches, Mini-LED backlight, high refresh rate, Fire TV.
Cons: Few dimming zones, so contrast is the weak point.
Seating distance and TV height at 85 inches
Place the center of the screen near eye level when you sit. An 85 inch TV is about 42 inches tall, so on a stand its bottom edge is often around 24 to 30 inches off the floor. That puts the middle of the picture a little under four feet up, which is roughly eye level for a standard couch. If you wall mount it, measure from your eye position, not from the ceiling. The surround sound speaker placement guide covers where speakers go around a screen this size.
Mini-LED, OLED or LED at 85 inches
Mini-LED is the practical default at this size because it combines high brightness with local dimming at a price that works for a screen this large. OLED gives the best blacks and widest viewing angles, but OLED panels that big are expensive and are less bright, so they suit dark rooms. A plain LED set without local dimming is the cheapest and looks flat in dark scenes. Our best TVs guide explains the panel types in more detail.
Do not forget the sound
No 85 inch TV has speakers that match its picture. Slim panels leave little room for drivers, and a screen this large fills a room that needs more sound than a TV can make. Budget for a soundbar at minimum. Our best soundbars guide covers options, and if you want a full surround setup start with the best home theater receivers.
Check the delivery path
An 85 inch TV box is large and heavy. Measure doorways, stairwells and the wall space before you order, and plan for two people to carry and mount it. Use a wall mount rated for the size and weight listed on the manufacturer's page.