The year of ultra-HD
2015 was not the year that Apple made a television and looking at the TVs on the TV of the Year list, it's hard to think what Cook and co could bring to this category. In short: TVs are now so packed with innovation, not even the likes of Apple can improve on what is happening in this sector.
The following TVs are all stunning. They all show that even with the real worry of people turning to mobile devices as their first screen, let alone second or third, the big screens that dominate the living room can still have the wow factor.
4K hit the mainstream in 2015 and it is only going to get more popular next year. With the likes of Netflix and BT Sport already offering 4K content and Sky looking to launch soon, HD already looks positively blurry.
While the following sets are all premium in look, features and price, 4K technology is actually relatively inexpensive, which means that your next TV will probably be a 4K one. Just keep your fingers crossed that someone is feeling extra generous and you get one from the following list...
Samsung JS9500
If Samsung is to be believed, the 65-inch UE65JS9500 represents a whole new category of TV technology; it's not just a UHD TV, it's an 'SUHD' TV.
While a few retailers seem to have bought into this suggestion, the truth is that it's not really a completely new sort of LCD TV. It is, however, uniquely cutting edge in a number of areas.
Samsung's flag-waver for 2015 is seriously demanding on your wallet (though slightly cheaper than the top LG 65EC970V screen) and occasionally feels too far ahead of its time. When all's said and done, it's uniquely qualified to cope with the AV future that's almost upon us.
Read our Samsung JS9500 review
Vote for the Samsung JS9500 in the TV of the Year category in the T3 Awards 2015
Sony X900C
Sony's all-new flagship X900C series 4K TV has a lot going for it. It's sleek, slim and powerful, and thanks to the addition of Android TV, it's smarter and more versatile than a Sony TV set has ever been. It's the slimmest TV Sony has ever released, too, at just 4.9mm at its thinnest point.
The X900C series is one of four 4K series Sony put out in 2015, leaving only one series in the dust at regular ol' 1080p. It comes in 55, 65 and 75-inch versions, the latter of which is dubbed the XBR-X910C.
Other TVs in the X900 series include the XBR-65X930C and 75X940C - 65 and 75-inch TVs that sport huge 30-watt speakers and edge-lit local dimming backlights.
Sony's line-up is as strong as it has been in years.
Read our Sony X900C review
Vote for the Sony X900C in the TV of the Year category in the T3 Awards 2015
Panasonic CX850
The CX850 is so premium that we are yet to have a full review of this awesome TV. We did review the X700 (see below) and felt it was a TV bolstered by an extra dose of brightness, convincing black levels and luscious, though natural, colours that are as accurate as we have seen.
The TX-50CX700 enjoys a ground-breaking design; not so much in its super-slim bezel and all-round professional-look, but in the design of its two barely-there, razor-sharp feet.
That's an achievment that helps make the TX-50CX700 a good value all-rounder, ripe for the 4K future. And the CX850 ups the ante of the X700 considerably.
Read our Panasonic CX700 review
Vote for the Panasonic CX700's bigger brother, the CX850, in the TV of the Year category in thE T3 Awards 2015
Panasonic CX400
Everyone can get 4K now, and the Panasonic CX400 proves it. This was a TV announced alongside a glut of others at CES 2015 earlier in the year and it offers 4K capabilities without the need to spend big.
This one doesn't come with the Firefox OS, but then again this isn't a TV that needs to pretend to be smart – it has enough to offer without getting bogged down in finer details. It comes in both 55 and 65 inch sizes and if you're feeling a little different then there's also a curved option.
Vote for the Panasonic CX400 in the TV of the Year category in the T3 Awards 2015
LG EC970V
LG calls the LG EC970 the future of television, and we can't really argue. This is a TV that is curved so you can enjoy the widest viewing angles with no loss of contrast or distortion of colour.
As it's 4K, it has 4 times the resolution as a Full HD panel, and this particular television has WebOS functionality, which for our money is the best smart TV system around. Couple this with the ability to switch between live TV, apps and your external devices, while using LG's intuitive Magic Remote, and what you have is a TV that you will want to show off to all.
Oh, and you also get 3D. Not that anyone cares anymore, but it's there!
Vote for the LG EC970V in the TV of the Year category in the T3 Awards 2015
LG UF9400
The UF9400 isn't perfect, and in its current state wouldn't necessarily be something we'd recommend to someone about to drop thousands of pounds on a 4K TV. But LG soon realised that the color was skewed and fixed it before its launch this year.
Taking the dots out of the equation, the rest of the TV is solid. WebOS 2.0 looks to improve the general user experience and the upscaler tech. If it's good enough, this will mean we don't have to gripe about a lack of native 4K content. Whether any or all of this pans out, however, is on LG and the decisions it makes in the next two months.
Read our LG UF9400 review
Vote for the LG UF900 in the TV of the Year category in the T3 Awards 2015
