Xbox Series X needs a TV that can do four things at once: HDMI 2.1 with full 48 Gbps bandwidth, 4K at 120Hz, VRR, and ALLM. Below 4K@120 those features matter less, but if you bought a Series X for the games that hit 120fps — Forza Motorsport, Call of Duty, Halo Infinite multiplayer — anything less than HDMI 2.1 will cap you at 4K@60.
Quick answer
- Best overall — LG OLED C5: four full HDMI 2.1 ports, ~5–6ms input lag, Dolby Vision Gaming at 120Hz, the safest "set it and forget it" pick
- Best for bright rooms — Samsung S95F QD-OLED: brighter OLED, four HDMI 2.1 up to 165Hz, but no Dolby Vision (uses HDR10+, which Xbox also supports)
- Best value — Hisense U8QG Mini-LED: two full HDMI 2.1 ports plus Dolby Vision Gaming for half the OLED price
- Bigger budget — LG OLED G5: same gaming feature set as the C5 plus brighter MLA panel
What Xbox Series X actually needs from a TV
HDMI 2.1 with 48 Gbps — required for 4K@120Hz. HDMI 2.0 caps at 4K@60Hz with HDR. Many cheaper TVs advertise "HDMI 2.1" but only one or two ports are actually full-bandwidth — the rest are HDMI 2.0 in disguise. Always check the per-port spec.
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) — Xbox Series X uses VRR to lock the display refresh to the game's frame rate, eliminating screen tearing. Both HDMI 2.1 VRR and FreeSync are supported by Xbox.
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) — When the Xbox is detected, the TV switches into Game Mode automatically. Avoids the 30–80ms penalty of leaving a TV in Standard or Cinema mode.
Dolby Vision Gaming — Xbox Series X is the only console that supports Dolby Vision in games. LG, Hisense, TCL, and Vizio TVs support it. Samsung does not support Dolby Vision on any TV (uses HDR10+, which Xbox also supports).
Auto HDR — Xbox Series X adds HDR to SDR games on capable TVs. Works on any HDR10 or Dolby Vision TV.
Our picks
LG OLED C5 — best overall for Xbox Series X The default recommendation. All four HDMI 2.1 ports are full 48 Gbps so you can plug Xbox + PS5 + a 4K Blu-ray player + a soundbar into the same TV without juggling. Dolby Vision Gaming at 120Hz, NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, AMD FreeSync Premium, and HDMI Forum VRR — every flavor of VRR Xbox might emit. Game Optimizer dashboard on the TV shows live FPS, VRR status, and HDR mode. LG OLED C5 on Amazon (paid link)
Samsung S95F QD-OLED — best for bright rooms Brighter than the LG C5 in HDR highlights and reflects glare less. Lowest input lag in the OLED category. Four HDMI 2.1 ports up to 165Hz for PC gaming. The catch: Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision. Xbox falls back to HDR10/HDR10+, which still looks excellent — but if you have a Dolby Vision Blu-ray collection or specifically want DV gaming, look at the LG C5/G5 instead. Samsung S95F QD-OLED on Amazon (paid link)
Hisense U8QG — best value Mini-LED Two full HDMI 2.1 ports (4K@120Hz, VRR up to 144Hz), Dolby Vision Gaming, and brightness that exceeds most OLEDs in SDR. Half the price of an LG C5 in the 65-inch size. eARC is wired to a separate HDMI 2.0 port, which is actually good news for gamers — it leaves both 2.1 ports free for Xbox + PS5/PC. Color volume isn't quite OLED-level but it's the best price-to-performance pick on this list. Hisense U8QG on Amazon (paid link)
LG OLED G5 — premium pick Same gaming feature set as the C5 with a brighter MLA OLED panel and "gallery" wall mount design. Worth the upgrade only if you're in a very bright room or want the slim wall-mount aesthetic. Otherwise the C5 delivers identical gaming performance for less. LG OLED G5 on Amazon (paid link)
How to set up Xbox Series X with your TV
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Use a Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable The cable that ships with Xbox is fine but bundled TV cables often aren't. If you're swapping ports or running a longer cable, replace it. 4K@120Hz with HDR fails silently on under-spec cables.
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Plug Xbox into a labeled HDMI 2.1 port On LG: any port. On Hisense U8QG: HDMI 3 or 4 (HDMI 1 and 2 are 2.0). On Samsung S95F: any port. Check the back-panel labels — port behavior varies.
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Enable HDMI 2.1 features on the TV
- LG: Settings → General → Devices → HDMI Settings → HDMI Deep Color: On for the Xbox port
- Samsung: Settings → Connection → External Device Manager → Input Signal Plus: On for the Xbox port
- Hisense: Settings → Picture → HDMI Format → Enhanced Format for the Xbox port
Without these enabled, the port falls back to HDMI 2.0 behavior and you lose 120Hz support — HDMI 2.0 cannot deliver 4K@120Hz, only 4K at 60Hz max.
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On Xbox: Settings → General → TV & display options
- Resolution: 4K UHD
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Video modes: enable "Allow 4K," "Allow HDR10," "Allow Dolby Vision" (where supported), "Allow Auto Low Latency Mode," "Allow Variable Refresh Rate"
- Run "4K TV details" — this verifies the TV is actually negotiating 4K@120 with HDR
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Calibrate Auto HDR per game Settings → General → TV & display options → Calibrate HDR for games. Adjust the three brightness sliders so the visible logo just disappears. Run this once after any TV brightness change.
Sizing for Xbox Series X
Use field-of-view, not arbitrary distance multiples. THX recommends 36° minimum, 40° optimal:
- 55" — sit 4.5–6 feet away
- 65" — sit 5.5–7 feet away
- 75" — sit 7–8 feet away
- 85" — sit 8–9 feet away
If your couch is farther than the maximum for a given size, step up a size rather than sitting too far. Series X's 4K detail rewards filling more of your field of view.
Common Xbox + TV pitfalls
Stuck at 4K@60Hz — Almost always a cable, port, or "Enhanced Format" toggle issue. Run Xbox's "4K TV details" to see what the TV is actually negotiating.
HDR looks washed out — Game Mode is hiding the calibration sliders. Run Auto HDR calibration in the Xbox settings, not the TV's HDR settings. The Xbox calibration is what each game uses.
Dolby Vision flickering or grayscale — Some games launched with broken DV implementations. Toggle DV off in the Xbox video modes for affected titles, or update the game.
Input lag feels worse than expected — Confirm ALLM is engaging. On LG, Game Optimizer shows the active mode in a small overlay. On Samsung, Game Bar (long-press the play/pause button on the remote) shows mode.
FAQ
Does Xbox Series S deserve the same TV as Series X? Series S renders games at 1440p max, not native 4K. A 4K TV still helps because UI, streaming apps, and upscaled content benefit. But you don't need the same level of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth — Series S maxes at 4K@120Hz output (upscaled from 1440p) which is well within HDMI 2.1's headroom. The same TVs above all work with Series S; you can also save by going down to a Hisense U7 or LG B-series.
Will a Samsung TV work with Xbox if it doesn't support Dolby Vision? Yes. Xbox Series X supports HDR10 and HDR10+, which Samsung does support. You just lose Dolby Vision Gaming — about a dozen titles support DV today. HDR10 still looks excellent and most users won't notice.
Do I need a 120Hz TV if I mostly play single-player games? Single-player blockbusters typically target 30 or 60fps, so 120Hz is overkill for those titles specifically. But Auto HDR, ALLM, and VRR (the rest of the gaming feature stack) all still benefit single-player games. And once you have 120Hz you'll find it useful for the multiplayer titles you might pick up.
Which is better for Xbox: OLED or Mini-LED? OLED has perfect blacks and faster response time. Mini-LED is brighter and has zero burn-in risk. For a dedicated game room with controlled light, OLED. For a bright living room with mixed use (sports, streaming, casual games), Mini-LED. The Hisense U8QG is the best Mini-LED for the price; the LG C5 is the best OLED for the price.