The best televisions, home entertainment gadgets, speakers, and streaming devices of 2022 cover a wide range of products, based on the many we’ve reviewed this past year. The premium television segment saw a lot of capable options from brands such as Samsung, Sony, and LG, as did the mid-range and affordable segments. Additionally, Apple also launched the much more powerful and capable Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) streaming device, while Sony and LG strengthened their product portfolios in the soundbar and home theatre categories.
In terms of technology for televisions, OLED remains the popular option for premium and mid-range buyers, although Mini LED screen tech shows a lot of promise going forward. Dolby Atmos and multi-channel soundbar systems have been popular in 2022 as well. With all of this in mind, here is our list of the top televisions, home entertainment, and streaming devices of 2022 in India.
Best premium television of 2022: Samsung QN95B Neo QLED Ultra-HD Mini LED Smart TV
Our top pick of televisions in 2022 is among the first mainstream Mini LED televisions to launch in India, and a massive demonstration of just what the new technology is capable of. The Samsung QN95B Neo QLED Ultra-HD Mini LED Smart TV is expensive, but delivers comprehensively when it comes to design, innovation, and performance. The key advantage of the Samsung’s Mini LED display is its incredible peak brightness, and the QN95B far outdoes the competition in this regard.
The slim profile makes this television quite impressive to look at on a wall mount, thanks to the separate One Connect box, and the solar-powered remote is an innovation that signals futuristic intent by Samsung. The smart TV software feels a bit cluttered, and sound quality is a bit underwhelming especially considering the price, but on the whole, there isn’t a better Ultra-HD television that you can buy in India right now, assuming budget is no bar.
Best mid-range television of 2022: Xiaomi OLED Vision Ultra-HD Android TV
OLED televisions have typically been priced at a significant premium over LED and quantum-dot technologies, but Xiaomi changed the norms with the OLED Vision Ultra-HD Android TV in 2022. Priced at well under Rs. 1,00,000 and available in a single 55-inch size, this television brings the benefits of OLED display technology – deep blacks, better contrast, and vibrant colours – to a much more attractive price point.
Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos support, a reliable software experience, and plenty of connectivity options add to the overall experience on the Xiaomi OLED Vision TV, although we did experience some issues with motion during our review. On the whole, the strong pricing and value proposition makes this our top pick among mid-range televisions in 2022 by a long margin.
Best affordable television of 2022: Xiaomi Smart TV X-Series Ultra-HD LED Android TV
Xiaomi has seen some recent success with more expensive televisions, but the company remains a budget specialist, especially in the TV segment. The Xiaomi Smart TV X-Series is a useful addition to its range of products for price-conscious buyers; it’s feature-filled and meant for those who want a big 4K TV, but trims a few features and specifications to sport a more attractive price tag.
On the whole, it’s still a very capable television range, with support for Dolby Vision, good sound, and reliable software. Although the user interface is a bit buggy and black levels are expectedly weak considering that this is an entry-level Ultra-HD LED TV, the Xiaomi X-series delivers exactly what is expected – good performance for the price.
Best home theatre system of 2022: Sony HT-A7000 soundbar system
While many might prefer to mix and match components, the appeal of a single-brand, hassle-free setup for your home entertainment system is strong for those looking for an easier solution. Sony offers just this with the big and powerful HT-A7000 soundbar system, an impressive 7.1.2-channel soundbar with support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision passthrough, and a rated power output of 500W. It’s loud, formidable, very easy to set up and use, and can be wirelessly connected to optional subwoofers or rear speakers from Sony.
Although quite expensive (even more so if you add the cost of the subwoofer and rear speakers), the Sony HT-A7000 is a one-brand solution to your home entertainment needs that is easy to assemble and extremely well equipped in terms of connectivity and features. It also helps that it looks good, and matches particularly well with Sony televisions.
Best streaming device of 2022: Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen)
Although the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) is a streaming device at its core, in reality it’s much more than just that. Thanks to the immensely powerful A15 Bionic processor under the hood, the Apple TV 4K is snappy, quick, responsive, and suitably equipped to handle just about any streaming content, thanks to support for Ultra-HD and various HDR formats. Usefully, it’s also a very capable gaming device, when paired with a good game controller.
Although tvOS often feels oversimplified, Siri on the device doesn’t do much, and it’s still quite expensive considering that the Apple TV 4K is primarily is a streaming device, the benefits can be seen in function and operation. It’s particularly useful if you’re already on the Apple ecosystem, since it’ll work well with your Apple products and services.