Confused by TV model names? Here's how to decode them
In a few hundred thousand years some archaeologists will unearth an ancient shop, buried deep underground, known mysteriously as 'Currys'. Inside they'll find rows of ancient artefacts: dead-black windows with antiquated cords for power.
Our distant descendants will pour over their cryptic names like it's a new Rosetta Stone: 'What do these symbols mean? And why in this order?' It's a question we already ask, and we're the TV experts. Take the LG OLED55C54LA and the LG OLED55C5ELB – what's the difference there?
At a glance their names are almost identical. Both are made by LG (that's the easy bit), but there's plenty more the name call tell you – from the year it was released, to its size, spec and beyond.
It’s even more important to understand TV naming conventions as we approach Black Friday: you don’t want to end up spending money on what appeared to be a great deal for the latest TV, only to discover you’ve ended up with last year’s model. Keep reading and you'll be a code-breaking TV-buyer in no time.
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How to decipher the big brands' TV model names
With the leading brands releasing close to 200 TVs every year, there are plenty of confusing model names flying about. But they aren't difficult to figure out once you know what the letters and numbers mean.
Your newfound knowledge will really come into its own when you start to compare multiple models from the same manufacturer. You'll be able to spot what sets two TVs apart and where they sit in the manufacturer's line-up. What's more, since brands have fixed conventions and rarely deviate from them, these tips will be relevant for years to come.
LG TV model names explained
LG's TV naming conventions differ slightly depending what sort of screen you're buying: LCD, NanoCell or OLED.
LG's LCD model names
For an LCD TV from LG, the first number is the screen size. That's then followed by letters, which relate to the year. For 2025 that's 'A'.
Next you have a series of numbers that denote what range the TV belongs to. Usually, the lower the number the more basic the TV. You won't necessarily know if this number is high or low on its own, but you'll be able to quickly compare it alongside other similar LG TVs.
Finally, there's a string of letters and numbers, which relate to a variant (such as a retailer-specific model or a different colour option). There's no real logic to this section, but if you see two TVs where everything else is the same other than these final letters and numbers, it's likely the same TV with some design differences.
So, if we look at the LG 65UA73006LA, we know it's a 65-inch LCD TV from 2025. And when we compare it to similar models from LG's line-up, the '7500' tells us it's a slightly more low-end model one of LG's lower spec TVs.
LG's NanoCell model names
LG's mid-range sets have NanoCell displays. They're easy to tell apart from LCD and OLED LGs because they helpfully have 'NANO' in the name; otherwise, they are pretty much the same. The first number is still the screen size, then you have a number denoting its position in the grand scheme of NanoCell TVs released that year, and finally there's a pair of letters for the release year.
Let's look at the LG 55NANO81A6A. We know it's a 55-inch NanoCell TV that's from 2025 (that's the 'A' bit at the end). When comparing it alongside other LG NanoCell TVs, the '81' tells us it's a mid-range NanoCell.
LG's QNED model names
LG certainly keeps us on our toes with its numerous TV types. QNEDs are quantum nano TVs, which use mini-LED backlights and quantum dots for improved colour and contrast.
They are easy to spot at least, since they all have 'QNED' in the model name. The first number is still the screen size and the number following 'QNED' in the model name tells us the range. The 50QNED82A6B is a 50-inch mid-range QNED TV from 2025 because it has the 'A' towards the end. Compare it to the 50QNED86A6C and 65QNED93A6A, which we know are more high-end because they have a higher number after QNED.
The two characters at the end are retailer or country codes and you can ignore them.
LG's OLED model names
LG's most high-end TVs have OLED displays and, aside from a few differences, they mirror its NanoCell range in terms of naming convention.
They have 'OLED' in the name rather than 'NANO', and instead of using letters to signify the year they use numbers. So a 2025 TV has a '5', such as the LG OLED55C56LA.
The letter in the OLED name tells you how high-end it is, with letters later in the alphabet denoting a higher spec: the C5 is more high-end than the B5, for example.
Hisense TV model names explained
Hisense makes TVs with LCD and QLED displays (as well as OLEDs on some years) across several ranges.
They all start with the screen size followed by a letter and number combination that tells you what range they are from.
Things get a little tricker after that, so let's look at model to make it easier. The 65U8QTUK is a 65-inch from a high-end range, we know that because of the high number and letter later in the alphabet.
Hisense models will then either say QTUK or NQTUK and these conventions have been in place for a few years, so unfortunately they don't tell us what year the TV was released.
Thankfully, our TV reviews do. Use the year released filter to find TVs from 2024 and 2025.
Panasonic TV model names explained
Panasonic makes LCD and OLED TVs.
The model names start with 'TB' or 'TV' followed by the screen size then there's a letter that tells you what type of display you're looking at.
- W – is a backlit LCD or QLED TV
- Z – is an OLED TV
Finally, you have a number. The bigger the number, the more high-end the TV. With Panasonic TVs, this number comes after the letter showing the resolution, so the Panasonic TB-55W61AEY is a mid-range 4K LCD TV, while the Panasonic TV-65Z95BEB is a high-end OLED TV.
The three letter at the end are a country and retailer code and can differ slightly depending which country you're buying the TV from and which shop.
To figure out what year the TV was released you need to look at the letter following the range. If we look at the TV-65Z95BEB we know it's a 2025 model because of the 'B' following 'Z95'. 2024 models had an 'A' there instead.
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Philips TV model names explained
Philips helpfully puts OLED in the model name of its OLED TVs, so they are easy to tell apart from LCD models, which have PUS in name instead.
All its TVs start with the screen size, while the number at the end (the one before the '/') tells you how high-end the TV is. The bigger the number the more high-end.
So, if we look at the 65OLED909, we know it's a 65-inch OLED TV that's more high-end than the 65OLED759. The same applies to the LCD models, but they have four-digit numbers.
Philips TVs often end with a '/' followed by a number, but whether this is visible often depends on the retailer and can be disregarded. There's no clear indication from the model name of when the TV was released unfortunately.
Samsung TV model names explained
Samsung has four different display types: LCD, QLED, Neo QLED and OLED (bit excessive, but there you go).
The names all start with two letters, which give you an idea of what the display type is, followed by the screen size and then a letter and number that confirms the display type and position in the line-up. The final letter denotes the year it was released.
There are differences though, which we'll explain by breaking down each screen type for you.
- LCD– Samsung UE65U8000F: the 'U' means it's an LCD TV, the 65 is the screen size. F is for 2025 (in 2023 it was D as E was skipped). The 8000 is at the lower end of Samsung's LCD ranges, so we know it's likely to be one of the cheaper models.
- QLED – Samsung QE50Q7F: it's a QLED as it starts with 'QE'. Then we know it's a 50-inch set. The Q7F confirms it's a QLED (not Neo QLED) and the '7' is a lower number, so it's a cheaper QLED model. Finally we have the 'F' so it's a 2024 TV.
- Neo QLED– Samsung QE55QN93F: It's the same as a standard QLED, but the 'QN' in the middle tells you it's a Neo QLED.
- OLED – perhaps the weirdest of all is the OLED. It's the same a QLED, but rather than 'Q' or QN' you just get an 'S'. Samsung likely chose not to use 'O' for 'OLED' because it's too similar looking to zero, which can cause confusion.
Samsung TVs are sometimes listed with a series of letters and numbers at the end of their name. These denote retailer and design, but won't make a difference to the workings of the TV, so if the rest of the name is the same then it's the same TV.
Sony TV model names explained
Sony has LCD and OLED models, and the naming convention is similar for both.
First you get the screen size (ignore the 'K' at the start since this is standard on all Sony TVs from 2024 onwards). Next is two letters associated with the processor powering the TV. 'XR' means the TV has Sony's high-end XR processor and 'S' ones don't.
After that you'll see some numbers, letters or both denoting what range the TVs from. These ranges are Bravia 3, 5, 7 and 8. You'll see the number directly after the XR or S.
If we look at the Sony K65S35BP, we know it's a 65-inch TV without an XR processor that's from one of its cheaper ranges. Compare that to the K55XR8M2BP. We can see that's a far more high-end set thanks to its XR processor and its from the Bravia 8 range.
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Fixed rules on TV names
There are other brands that do things slightly differently, but there are some consistent rules to help you.
- The first number is always the screen size.
- Brands use the alphabet or numbers to denote a year of release, so a model with 'J' in the name released before one with 'K' The only exception is when the letters reset, like when LG went back to 'A' on some models in 2025.
- Some letters are skipped to avoid confusion, so you won't see an 'I' or 'O' denoting a year of release, since they can be mixed up with one and zero.
- TVs rarely stay on sale beyond 20 months, so you won't need to decipher a model from half a decade ago when you're shopping.
All our TV reviews tell you what year a model was released, so you can easily keep track and make sure you're looking at a TV from this year or earlier.
How to make sure you're buying the right TV
All our TV reviews have buying links that take you directly to the page for that specific TV on the retailer sites. However, if you've seen a deal on a different site (or just want to double-check), there's an easy way to make sure you're buying the right TV.
- Highlight the TV model name from our review or advice guide.
- Press 'Crtl+C' to copy it (on mobile devices, tap and hold the name, then select copy).
- Go to the retailer website and press 'Crtl+F' to open the search window (on mobiles, tap the three-dot menu and select 'Find in Page', or similar).
- Hit 'Ctrl+P' to paste the TV name into the search field (on mobiles, tap and hold the search field, then select Paste).
- If the TV you want is on the page, it will be highlighted and you'll be brought to that point on the webpage automatically (you may need to open the tech spec section on the website to reveal the full model name).
Note that some retailers have specific variants with names that almost exactly match the name you've copied from our website, just with a few extra letters on the end. In most cases, this is still the same TV, but may be a different colour or have a different stand. We recommend contacting the retailer to confirm.
So why are TV model names so complex?
Once you know what everything means, they really aren't that complicated. It's easy for us to see of course, as we've been reviewing TVs for years. But everything in the name has a purpose and now you know what the purpose is.
With manufacturers releasing so many TVs every year, it wouldn't be feasible for them to come up with memorable names for each model. It's also useful to have key information available in the model name – after all, Samsung could call it's next QLED 'Clive', but it wouldn't tell you anything about the TV or how it sits in Samsung's overall line-up.
