Previously, fraudsters have been able to imitate companies or government bodies by mimicking their sender ID, making scam texts seem as though they are coming from trusted organisations like the ATO or Australia Post.

Fake texts have even appeared in the same text chain as real messages, making them seem more legitimate.

Since 1 July 2026, however, only businesses that have registered their sender ID with telcos can continue to use them, with all unregistered messages being labelled as “unverified” and placed in the same thread as other unverified texts.

‘Unverified’ messages expected to save Australians millions

Australians lost nearly $18 million to text scams last year, according to telco regulator the Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Modelling from Deloitte suggests the sender ID register will have a net benefit of $96.2 million to both consumers and businesses over the next 10 years.

Chair of ACMA Nerida O’Loughlin says if a message is marked as “unverified”, it should be treated with extra caution.

“It may be from a legitimate business or organisation that has not yet registered its sender ID, or it may be a scam message impersonating a trusted brand,” O’Loughlin says.

“Either way, the message is simple: stop and think before you click a link or provide information to the sender.”

Not a silver bullet

Australia has followed the example of Singapore, which introduced an SMS ID register in March 2022. According to the Singaporean government, this led to a 64% decrease in SMS scams compared to six months prior.

Advocacy body Australian Communications and Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Carol Bennett says the register is an important measure in preventing scam activity, but is not going to stop every scam. She also notes that many businesses are still unaware of it.

Even some government agencies appear to have not yet registered their ID, with a ĚÇĐÄVlog employee recently receiving a text labelled “unverified” from Victoria’s Department of Government Services which has since been verified as a legitimate text from the government agency.

“The other part, as always, is that enforcement action needs to be firm and robust,” Bennett says.

It is up to telcos to implement the new register and label unverified messages, and they will face up to $250,000 in fines if they do not comply with their new obligations.

The register only applies to branded MMS and SMS messages, meaning the verification check does not cover texts sent from phone numbers or messaging apps, which scammers may continue to exploit.

What’s next for tackling telco scams?

Carol Bennett says while the register is a welcome protection, more needs to be done, considering how useful phone networks are to fraudsters.

“Telcos are a frontline scam pathway. Telecommunications and digital platforms sit alongside each other as the key vehicle for connecting those scammers to consumers,” Bennett says.

The sender ID register comes ahead of the federal government’s delayed Scam Prevention Framework, which will place obligations on banks, digital platforms and telcos to protect Australians from scams.

Despite being passed by Parliament in early 2025, the government announced in May its implementation will be postponed until March 2027.

Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC) CEO Stephanie Tonkin says this delay will cause “unacceptable harm”, with CALC estimating that Australians will lose a further $2 billion to scams while they wait for the delayed laws to kick in.

“For the most part, industry has done its best to drag out the consultation, limiting their liability and ensuring the path to implementation is painfully slow,” Tonkin says. 

“All while Australian families continue to be robbed and bear the financial burden in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.”

Beyond concerns about the delay in implementing the Framework, ACCAN’s Bennett says it could be strengthened to offer better protection to consumers.

She says the proposed $3000 minimum reimbursement for scam victims is too low, and in its current form, the Scam Prevention Framework places an unfair burden on those trying to access compensation.

“Consumers are hit with the double whammy of being scammed, then having to prove they’ve been scammed, which is particularly difficult for the most vulnerable people,” she says.

Bennett says she wants to see the Framework stand up to industries who are pushing back on obligations to prevent and respond to scams.

“They have the privilege of running these platforms that enable them to generate significant profits. They should be held to account when it comes to protecting consumers, when their platforms are responsible for creating harm.”

Report scams and get help

• If you’ve had personal details stolen, contact or call 1800 595 160.
• If you think you have received a scam text message, report it to .
• If you think your money or personal information has been stolen, tell your bank and phone company immediately.

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The post Screening for scams: Why you’re suddenly receiving ‘unverified texts’ appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Websites are offering to cancel services on your behalf by sending templated letters, claiming to help customers unsubscribe from a range of services from streaming platforms and software to gym memberships and newspapers.

Netherlands-based Unsubby and Xpendy offer to send cancellation letters to a range of services available in Australia. The Xpendy website says companies are “legally required” to cancel subscriptions within 10 business days of receiving a letter.

Both websites charge $25–$30 per letter, and also offer their own subscription models where users can send multiple letters and track subscriptions across different platforms.

Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) deputy CEO Chandni Gupta says using these third-party services can seem enticing given how difficult it can be to cancel a subscription.

“Being a consumer today is just as taxing as a full-time job, or at least a side hustle no one signed up for.” 

A 2024 report by CPRC found three in four Australians had trouble cancelling a subscription  and one in ten find it so difficult they give up and continue paying for a service they don’t want.

Can these services actually unsubscribe you?

While these subscription-cancelling services offer to make life easier, can they actually cancel, say, your Netflix subscription?

No, according to Netflix. A spokesperson told ĚÇĐÄVlog third-party letters are not an effective means of cancelling your Netflix membership.

“Our members shouldn’t be paying for these services when cancellation via Netflix is free and easy,” the spokesperson said.

Netflix has received notice indicating that some customers may be attempting to cancel their subscriptions through Unsubby under the mistaken belief that Unsubby is affiliated with Netflix.

Even Unsubby’s terms and conditions say the company cannot assure the successful cancellation of contracts and that it is the customer’s duty to ensure this is correctly executed, though it does say it offers a full refund to unsatisfied customers.

Telcos say no too

Xpendy and Unsubby also offer to cancel services with Australian telcos, however, both Optus and Telstra told ĚÇĐÄVlog they would not accept these templated letters to end customers’ services.

Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne Jeannie Paterson says subscription-cancelling services should not be making claims they cannot deliver on.

“You should not tell people that you, as a third party, are able to terminate subscriptions, and do it promptly, if that is not the case,” Paterson says.

While these companies are based in Europe where there are different laws, she says that is no excuse for misleading Australian customers.

Neither Unsubby nor Xpendy responded to ĚÇĐÄVlog’s questions.

However, Paterson says companies like Netflix who refuse to accept these letters are being unreasonable. “I cannot see why there is a problem with accepting a letter as a way of cancelling a contract,” she says.

Paterson says many older people, for example, may not be comfortable navigating online accounts, often set up by their children, and need to be given an accessible way to cancel subscriptions.

She says she cannot see a good reason for a letter not to be sufficient, and a subscription provider may just be avoiding extra work.

ĚÇĐÄVlog understands that Netflix does not wish to accept these letters due to the fact that it is a global company with customer service operations based overseas. 

In response to these letters, customers are being directed to their website to complete the cancellation process.

Both Telstra and Optus told ĚÇĐÄVlog they do not accept third-party cancellation letters due to privacy and security reasons.

“We have really strong protections in place to ensure we only deal directly with our customers or their properly authorised representatives,” Telstra customer service executive Amy Child says. 

“A letter that says it is being sent on their behalf isn’t enough.”

An Optus spokesperson told ĚÇĐÄVlog “we must verify the identity and authority of the person making the request before any account changes can be processed”.

Subscription traps

While there may be legitimate security concerns around cancelling services through a third party, making it difficult to cancel subscriptions is often used as a business strategy.

Chandni Gupta from CPRC says businesses use a series of so-called “dark patterns” on their websites to create subscription traps, making it hard to find the cancellation button, or using language to make customers feel guilty about unsubscribing.

While the 2024 CPRC report found unsubscribing from Netflix to be relatively easy, companies like Adobe lock customers into what looks like a monthly contract, but is actually annual, and imposes a cancellation fee if they want to cancel before the year is up. 

The report also found that Amazon Audible persuades customers who are looking to cancel to instead temporarily pause their subscription before it automatically resumes and HelloFresh was found to be bombarding former customers with frequent marketing emails after they unsubscribed. 

A spokesperson from consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says it has long been concerned by businesses implementing unnecessary friction and onerous requirements to deter people from cancelling subscriptions, which are not adequately covered by existing laws.

A new Unfair Trading Practices bill has just passed federal parliament, which the ACCC says introduces requirements for businesses to make cancelling subscriptions easier. 

These laws will come into effect in July 2027. However, Gupta says there is nothing stopping businesses from making their subscriptions easier to cancel right now. 

According to CPRC research, around 90% of Australians would happily re-engage with a business if cancelling a subscription was easy.

“So it’s not just good business practice, it actually makes good business sense,” Gupta says.

If you are having trouble cancelling a subscription

• Figure out where you signed up, as some subscriptions can only be managed where they were purchased. Other than the service itself, you may have signed up through a third-party app or an account such as Apple.
• Search your emails for an order confirmation, receipt or renewal notice that might give you instructions for cancelling your subscription.
• Beware of free trials and offers enticing you to stay when you try to cancel. Check the fine print – you may be locked in for longer than you expected.
• If you can’t find a cancellation option, contact customer support via phone, email or dedicated help page on a service’s website.

The post Do subscription-cancelling services actually work? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Your new TV will take up prime position in your living room and provide countless enjoyable hours of binge watching, sports streaming and moving marathoning. It’s important to pick one that looks and sounds great.

TVs are one of the most popular discounted items come end of financial year sale time. And you’ll likely find plenty of offers outside of regular sales periods too, as retailers try to offload unsold stock to make way for new models.

But our experts urge caution if you’re in the market for a new TV. Retailers don’t just discount the good ones – they’re eager to offload plenty of duds as well.

And no one wants to be stuck with poor picture quality and sub-par sound for years to come. 

To help you sort the star performers from the B-grade extras, our TV experts test dozens of models in our lab each year.

We evaluate the key factors you want to know about, including picture quality, sound, remote, energy use, user interface and more.

Covering more than 90% of the market, we review popular brands such as LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and Hisense, along with smaller ones such as ChiQ, Ffalcon, and Aldi’s house brand Bauhn.

Do you even need a new TV?

Before you get swept up in the sales hype, stop and think about whether you actually need that new TV at all. (We’re not trying to be killjoys, we promise!)

If you’re happy with the picture quality of your existing TV, but feel like it’s just not smart enough, you don’t necessarily need to buy a new one – you can simply smarten up the TV you already own.

ĚÇĐÄVlog TV experts explain how to turn a regular TV into a smart TV to breathe new life into your older model. This can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

The worst large TVs in our test

In our most recent lab tests, our experts found some terrific big-screen TVs alongside some very underwhelming models. Here’s the models that underwhelmed in our reviews.

Remember, too, that a large TV like this might not be suitable for your space: the larger the TV, the further away you’ll need to sit for the best viewing experience. 

Our experts recommend a viewing distance of around 2.48 metres from a 65-inch screen, so if your lounge room isn’t particularly large, you’ll be better off with a smaller TV anyway – which means you might be able to get a better view for around the same or less money.

Our guide to measuring and choosing the right TV size will help you find the right size for your viewing pleasure.

ChiQ U65M10F

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 66%
• Size: 65-inch
• Price: $699

Yes, this 65-inch TV seems like an absolute steal at $699, but there’s a reason it’s priced so low.

It might look impressive at first glance, but it underperforms on some of the most important things you want a TV to do: make whatever you’re watching look good and sound good.

Picture quality is ordinary in both standard and high definition and our experts say the sound is dull and lacks presence (it doesn’t feel like the audio is filling the room). Even the 4K picture was a bit flat and pale.

Read the full ChiQ U65M10F review.

Hisense 65Q6QAU

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 67%
• Size: 65-inch
• Price: $1099

A $400 step up in price doesn’t translate to a step up in quality. This Hisense might be more expensive than the ChiQ, but it’s barely any better.

The high- and standard-definition picture quality is similarly disappointing and the remote isn’t exactly a joy to use, with our experts rating it as only OK.

It does deliver better sound quality, but it’s still a bit boomy. Sometimes, this makes the rest of the audio pretty hard to hear, including dialogue.

A number of 65-inch TVs we’ve reviewed that cost around the same performed far better, so we suggest looking elsewhere.

Read the full Hisense 65Q6QAU review. 

Blaupunkt BP650USG60

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 69%
• Size: 64-inch
• Price: $947

We’ve seen a lot of new TVs that look great in 4K but pretty average in all other respects. This TV falls into this exact trap – 4K looks good to very good (depending on the settings), but SD and HD are only OK.

While 4K is readily available on streaming services and discs, the majority of movies and shows are still only available in SD and HD.

So, although it seems quite cheap at less than $1000, you’re really getting a TV that’s only good at one thing, and you won’t be able to use that thing most of the time.

Sound quality isn’t a saving grace either. It’s pretty average, with noticeable echo and some harshness, as well as an overall absence of punch and impact. In other words, it doesn’t sound all that cinematic.

Read the full Blaupunkt BP650USG60 review.

Samsung QA65Q7FAAWXXY

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 69%
• Size: 65-inch
• Price: $2069

There’s not much to say about this Samsung TV, except it’s yet another 65-inch screen that only looks good in 4K. SD and HD quality are only OK and the speakers lack impact.

The price point is a very hard sell as well, even when it’s on sale. It’s not hard to find TVs that match, or outperform this screen with year-round price tags that are the same as Samsung’s sale price.

Read the full Samsung QA65Q7FAAWXXY review.

Toshiba 65C350RP

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 69%
• Size: 65-inch
• Price: $1095

Some picture quality concessions need to be made when you’re shopping on a budget. You’re not going to get the best screen in the world and that’s fine – but you can do much better than this budget TV from Toshiba.

Everything falls apart in our HD video assessment. Its borderline HD score of 54% puts it among the worst performers in this part of our test, with SD picture quality only faring slightly better at the lower end of OK (61%).

There are also issues with build quality and performance. Our experts noticed some light bleed, which is when white blotches appear around the edge of the screen. There are also signs of artefacting, an issue that makes the picture break up and turn blocky, mainly during fast-moving scenes.

Read the full Toshiba 65C350RP review.

The worst small TVs in our test

Small screens aren’t really designed to compete with the big dogs but they can still look quite good. These ones, however, do not.

Ffalcon FF32S55

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 64%
• Size: 32-inch
• Price: $199

Ffalcon has the esteemed honour of being the cheapest currently available TV in our test. It has also achieved the notable dishonour of being the lowest scoring model.

Compromises in picture and sound quality are normal when you’re shopping on a budget, but try to save a bit more money to avoid this disappointing display. Picture quality is just barely OK, and the built-in speaker is completely absent of bass while sounding harsh and lacking in detail.

The remote control isn’t half bad; it’s actually among the better ones we’ve seen, which includes expensive TVs from major brands. So, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the off button.

Read the full Ffalcon FF32S55 review.

TCL 32S5K

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 66%
• Size: 32-inch
• Price: $399

TCL’s small TV costs $200 more than the Ffalcon above. Is it worth the extra dough? Not really.

Standard-definition picture quality is good and may sound fine if you tend to watch older movies and shows that haven’t been released in high-definition (HD). But high-def quality is very average and sound quality is poor with no bass, limited detail and an overall harsh feel – just like the Ffalcon.

You’re just paying more money for a better standard-def picture. That’s not worth it, not in 2026 when the vast majority of content is available in HD. Skip the TCL and buy a TV that’s built for the modern age.

Read the full TCL 32S5K review.

Philips 32PHT6529/79

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 67%
• Size: 32-inch
• Price: $299

In life, not everyone will shoot for the moon. Lots of folks are fine being an average sort of person and that’s OK. Philips has applied the same philosophy to this small TV – a far less acceptable approach when it comes to home entertainment.

Standard-definition picture and sound quality are both firmly OK – the kind of OK where you can’t really fix things by adjusting the settings. High-def, meanwhile, really falls apart as it skirts the line between OK and poor quality (57%).

However, its user interface is very good, almost excellent in fact. This is great news for people who love browsing menus.

Read the full Philips 32PHT6529/79 review.

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It probably won’t come as a surprise that four out of five Australians had at least one major problem with a digital services provider in the last financial year.

According to recent research commissioned by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), issues such as unexplained loss of account access, being charged unexpected fees and experiencing a howling void where there should be customer service are costing us around $497 million a year.

One customer who has experienced these kinds of issues is Ben, who contacted us late last year about his difficulties with Meta. “Meta permanently disabled five of my accounts — both personal and business — with no warning, no clear explanation, and no real way to appeal,” Ben says.

“The official reason was a violation of community standards, but I genuinely haven’t done anything wrong. Just logged in one day and everything was gone. I’ve run my business through Meta platforms for over a decade, and now I can’t even access what I’ve paid for. The lack of support — especially when it’s clearly a mistake — has been deeply frustrating, both emotionally and financially.”

Even though Ben couldn’t get into his Meta business account, he was still paying for it.

“I can’t access it to pause or stop anything, but Meta is still billing my credit card every day. I’ve now been locked out for over three weeks, completely unable to manage or shut down the ads — and they just keep charging.”

“I’ve tried everything — appeals, ID submissions, support forms. I’ve even started tagging Meta staff on LinkedIn out of desperation.”

Ben’s ordeal was similar to experiences we documented in an earlier story. His services were eventually restored, but the process was a drawn-out ordeal.

Nowhere to turn

The worst part about these not-uncommon situations is that there’s no external dispute resolution body in Australia (such as an ombudsman scheme) to accept and act on complaints, though there is strong public support to create one. As it stands, digital leviathans such as Google, Meta, Apple and Microsoft run and rule their own fiefdoms, answerable only to themselves.

The TIO, which receives thousands of complaints a year about such platforms, is not in a position to do anything about them. Its remit only covers telcos such as Telstra and Optus, but it’s calling on the federal government to widen its jurisdiction to oversee the ever-expanding non-telco universe as well.

“This research confirms what we have been hearing from people and small businesses for a long time – digital and social media issues take time, cost money and create stress,” says Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert. “People rely on digital platforms to work, run small businesses and stay connected.”

The report, Someone to turn to, was produced by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). Its author, CPRC deputy CEO and digital policy director Chandni Gupta, says “too many people are getting stuck in a complaints loop, unable to reach a real person, passed between automated systems, and left without resolution or closure”.

“This problem harms individuals, undermines trust in the digital economy and weakens the accountability needed to ensure markets work for people.”

Growing demand for telco compensation

At the same time that the TIO is calling for its remit to be expanded to cover digital platforms, the telco industry it oversees continues to deliver poor service in many cases.

Its latest complaints report, covering January through March 2026, reveals that telco customers are increasingly demanding compensation for service disruptions that cost them money. 

The TIO received 14,002 complaints over the three months, with customers asking for financial compensation in 32.7% more complaints than in the previous quarter. In a parallel finding, the number of customers reporting financial hardship problems rose by 25%.

“Outages or delays fixing a fault can contribute to lost income. People that need to get back online quickly may buy a temporary service, and others request refunds for monthly payments made for services they couldn’t use,” Gebert says.

More people are also asking for compensation (a 16% jump compared to the same period last year) not because of a financial loss but because their ongoing mobile phone or internet problem negatively impacted their mental health.

“Across complaints, we often see a single phone or internet problem turn into many. People might start with a connection problem and end up being unable to work,” Gebert says.

“We also hear from people who need a payment plan but can’t get one they can afford, ending up deeper in debt. By the time people reach us, a single setback could have turned into real financial stress.”

Combining telco and digital platform oversight

From the TIO’s standpoint, the need for an independent complaints body to push back on the digital platforms such as Google and Meta that most of us engage with every day is self-evident.

“People are asking for something simple: clear pathways to complain and access to human support when they need it. Right now, these basic expectations are not being met,” Gebert says.

“The TIO already provides a to resolve disputes and hold telco providers to account. This [CPRC] research shows there is a clear need to extend that model to digital services, so Australians can get help when it matters most.”

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On this page:

• Serious performance, serious price
• Big bling
• Serious sound
• Powerhouse performance
• Upgradability
• Performance and specifications – the hard data

Serious performance, serious price

The Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10 (18IAX10) is a large and heavy 18-inch laptop that is built for gamers and professionals who want super-fast specs in a strong chassis. It features a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HZ CPU, which is paired with 64GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB SSD, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics adapter.

If you don’t understand any of this or are not impressed, this may not be the laptop for you. Alongside these specs are Wi-Fi 7 (really fast on your home wireless network), a high-brightness 4K IPS screen, a 1440p webcam, and more ports than you would find on most desktop computers, including 2 x Thunderbolt 5 ports and a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port.

There’s a lot to like about the features and the overall build quality of this laptop, which make it feel like a proper desktop replacement rather than something that should be carted between locations.

But if you do end up taking it anywhere with you, the power adapter will need to tag along –  battery life is around 2.5 hours, so this is not one for a long plane trip. Also, it would probably take up most of your carry-on luggage weight. With the adapter, it will be a cool 5kg worth of laptop power in your bag, not including any extra peripherals such as a gaming mouse.

Big bling, sleek design

The visual design of the Legion 9i delivers a large dose of flair with ambient chassis lighting and a daunting set of rear exhausts, which are sure to impress those looking for something a bit out of the ordinary. It’s oozing comfort and luxury, and if this is sounding more like a premium car than a laptop, you’re getting the idea.

A keyboard with individually backlit keys can be customised to look colourful across different zones using the included utility software, and they look glorious in the dark.

Peripheral and storage device connections are available along the sides of the laptop, while the back has the external monitor and power brick connections, neatly out of the way. All of the ports are very well spaced and easy to locate.

The keyboard keys possess very good travel and response, with a soft texture and ample spacing for touch-typing. The 3840-2400-pixel screen has deep colours, excellent blacks, superb detail in bright and dark areas, and a viewing angle that’s hard to fault.

It has a refresh of 240Mhz, and we didn’t notice any dizzying moments when scrolling websites or looking at games with fast motion. It’s one of the best screens we’ve seen on a laptop, and it’s bright enough to counter reflections that appear in its glossy finish.

A very large touchpad can be used to navigate the screen, but a mouse would be a better solution since you’ll more than likely already be sitting at a desk. The high-end Intel CPU and NVIDIA graphics card will pump out a lot of heat, and even when not much at all is being done on the laptop, some of that heat might be noticeable through the palm rest.

For tough workloads, the rear vents will become a wind tunnel as the fans work to keep the innards cool, so keeping the rear clear of obstructions will be a must. It will be fairly loud, but not an annoying kind of loud.

Serious sound

Speaker quality is generally something that shouldn’t be talked about for a laptop – they’re mostly not very good – but for the Legion 9i, we rate its musical output as very good.

The sound was warm overall with well-balanced vocals, while a thump from the bass could be heard, and even felt a bit on the desk. The speakers definitely are useful if you don’t want to don a pair of headphones or hook up to a proper sound system. 

Powerhouse performance

Processing power in GeekBench 6 was clocked at almost the same level as Apple’s MacBook Pro 16-inch laptop, with Apple M4 Pro silicon, but that laptop was still faster in this benchmark. The Legion 9i is a fast Windows laptop by any measure, and a powerhouse when it comes to graphics processing.

It easily handled Forza Horizon 5 (our default test) at 4K with all visual details set to their maximum level, returning a frame rate of 82 in that benchmark. A typical consumer laptop without discrete graphics can give half that frame rate and only at low image quality.

Of course, that’s just one game, so performance will vary for other games depending on the resolution and settings that are chosen, but this level of laptop graphics processing is currently the top of the line.

The storage is also among the fastest you can currently get. Its 2TB Samsung SSD recorded sequential read and write rates of 11GBps and 13Gbps in our tests, figures that are more than double what a typical consumer laptop delivers.

For internet access, the Killer Wi-Fi 7 2×2 BE 320MHz network adapter can also provide swiftness. If you pair it with a high-end Wi-Fi 7 router, then you can expect file transfers of around 2.88Gbps when using the 6GHz band. That’s super-quick, and what you want to see if you’re lucky enough to also have a top-tier 2Gbps NBN fibre plan.

But you’re more than likely to also want to use ethernet to tap into that type of NBN speed, and the 2.5Gbps ethernet port on the side of the laptop will cope with any speeds currently available online.

The webcam is also worth a mention. Its 1440p video was very well lit in bright and dark conditions, and there was plenty of dynamic range that kept both foreground and background scenes illuminated. There was some overexposure in bright areas such as room lights, so a bit of angling might be needed to counter that, but overall the image was highly detailed and rated as very good.

Upgradability

When dealing with a laptop at this price point, you want to be able to keep it as long as possible and the Legion 9i doesn’t disappoint in this regard.

Areas to upgrade include up to 192GB of DDR5 RAM via four SO_DIMM slots; up to four M.2 2280 SSD drives would turn this thing into a data centre. Also, both the Wi-Fi M.2 card and battery can be replaced.

Performance and specifications – the hard data

Keen on specifications, speeds and benchmark scores? Check out the numbers below:

Performance and benchmarking

• Battery life: 2 hr 25 min
• Charging time: 56 min
• Screen brightness (measured): 456 nits
• GeekBench 6 CPU multi-thread score: 19942
• GeekBench 6 GPU score: 241072
• Storage read speed (megabytes per second): 11041 MBps
• Storage write speed: 13364 MBps

Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10 18IAX10 (18in)

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (24GB)
• Memory: 64GB
• Storage: 2TB SSD
• Wi-Fi: 7 (Killer Wi-Fi 7 2×2 BE 320MHz)
• Bluetooth: version 5.4
• Screen size: 18-inch
• Screen resolution: 3840 x 2400
• Ports: Ethernet (LAN) with 2.5Gbps, 3 x USB-C (2 ports supporting Thunderbolt 5.80 Gbps) 3 x USB A; 3.5mm headphone jack; Full sized SD card slot.
• External monitor support: Yes (via HDMI)
• Backlit keyboard: Yes (RGB light for each key plus front chassis and lid logo)
• Touchpad size: 130 x 74mm
• Dimension (mm, H x D x W): 37 x 296 x 403
• Weight: 3.8kg (laptop) 1.25kg (power supply)

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The post Lenovo’s Legion 9i Gen 10 sets a new laptop benchmark, but is it worth the $8k+ price? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

We rank NBN plans based on real-world performance – not just marketing claims – so you can see which ones actually deliver their advertised speeds.

Below is our shortlist of the top performing plans right now, using data from the ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program. 

Note that our recommendations don’t factor in plan cost or customer service. For prices and full plan details, we’ve provided links through to the WhistleOut comparison site.

On this page:

• Best NBN plans for meeting claimed speed
• Which NBN plan speed do you need?
• How to change your internet provider
• How much NBN speed and data will you need?

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Best NBN plans for meeting claimed speed

We rank fixed-line fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the premises (FTTP) and cable (HFC) NBN plans on whether they’re meeting their claimed speed based on the ACCC’s broadband monitoring results. 

If your NBN connection technology isn’t represented here (such as FTTC, fixed wireless or Sky Muster satellite), that’s because the range of volunteers on the ACCC’s program doesn’t provide enough data on that NBN technology for us to confidently rank providers against each other. 

These are the best scorers from the most recent data for standard (NBN 50), fast (NBN 500) and super fast (NBN 750) home plans. All these plans have a ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of 80% or more. This overall score is made up of download score and upload score performance, evenly weighted.  

Any tied results for each reporting period are represented by identical numbers in the first column. Where there are fewer than three results, this is because the ACCC’s data is limited for that plan type.

Each plan also indicates its upload speed, such as 100/20, where 100 is the maximum wholesale download speed (megabits per second) and 20 is the upload speed.

For results for all the plans we’ve scored, head to our full coverage of the ACCC’s broadband provider performance program.

Fibre to the Node (FTTN)

Data is not available for for FTTN fast (NBN 250) plans.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)

HFC (Cable)

Which type of NBN technology do you have?

If you aren’t sure what technology you have, to find out what connection type is available at your premises.

The points below describe the three fixed-line NBN technologies we have ACCC measuring data for: FTTP, FTTN and HFC.

We hope to add fibre to the curb, fixed wireless and satellite plans to this list as the ACCC expands its monitoring program.

Fibre to the premises (FTTP)

• Outside your premises: Fibre cable to a street cabinet, then more fibre to your house.
• Inside your premises: Usually one box installed on the outside of your house, two side-by-side wall-mounted boxes inside.
• Socket: Ethernet (doesn’t use the old phone wall sockets in your house).

Fibre to the node (FTTN)

• Outside your premises: Fibre to a street cabinet, then pre-existing copper lines to your house. The longer the copper portion of the connection, the less fast and reliable your connection may be. Copper is less effective for data transfer than fibre optic, and pre-existing copper cabling might be in bad shape, leading to further signal loss or unreliability. NBN Co is usually responsible for the copper cabling on public land.
• Inside your premises: Looks similar to an ADSL modem inside your house. You’re responsible for the copper cabling within your premises.
• Socket: Uses your home’s pre-existing phone wall sockets. The socket might be upgraded by an NBN technician during or after installation, but don’t count on it.

HFC (Cable)

• Outside your premises: Fibre to an HFC node near your premises, then coaxial cabling the rest of the way, like cable TV or a pre-NBN cable internet connection.
• Inside your premises: Needs a pre-existing coaxial cable (for the above) in your premises or a new installation if necessary. If you have Foxtel, the installing NBN technician should provide you with a signal splitter so that your NBN and cable TV connections connect to the same wall port. Don’t use this splitter if you don’t have a cable TV connection or need it for other purposes, as it can reportedly cause signal stability problems in some instances.
• Socket: The inside box is not wall mounted and doesn’t connect to old phone wall sockets. You’ll need to connect a separate router to this box, either supplied by your provider or by yourself, to connect multiple devices and create a Wi-Fi network.

Which NBN plan speed do you need?

NBN speed tiers

We only report on these speed tiers because the ACCC’s broadband monitoring program doesn’t provide enough data on other tiers for us to rank products against each other.

Below is the full list of fixed-line NBN speed tiers.

Note that you’ll only be eligible for certain plans if your connection meets the requirements (see below to find out the fastest NBN speed you can buy).

What’s the fastest NBN speed you can buy?

Here’s a general indication of the maximum speed a provider might consider selling to you, depending on your connection type.

• Fibre to the node (FTTN) – Home Fast, but some providers won’t go above Home Standard without testing your connection first, or at all.
• Fibre to the building (FTTB) – Home Fast.
• Fibre to the curb (FTTC) – Home Fast, but NBN Co hopes to increase it to Home Superfast or Ultrafast soon.
• Fibre to the premises (FTTP) – Home Ultrafast.
• Hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) – Home Ultrafast, but NBN Co states no more than 750Mbps sustained download speeds for HFC, with short bursts of up to nearly 1Gbps.

How to change your internet provider

If you’re not on a contract

If you’re not on a contract, changing providers should be as easy as contacting your new provider and signing up to an NBN plan. You can do this online, by phone, or sometimes instore, depending on which provider you’re signing up to.

Your new NBN provider will contact your old one and make the switch. Your old plan will be cancelled at the end of your current billing month and your new plan will start around the same time. 

There may be some overlap in billing periods between the two providers, but you should be notified of the date your new billing period will start. There are often additional charges when signing up to a new provider, such as an activation fee or hardware costs.

If you’re on a contract

If you’re still within the term of a broadband contract, you’ll need to ask your current provider what the cancellation process is. You may have to pay out all or part of your current contract and you may need to pay a termination fee.

Aside from this, it’s the same process as for those who are off contract.

How much NBN speed and data will you need?

NBN plans have two factors to consider: speed/bandwidth, which is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), and the amount of data you can download, measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB).

Speed

To get an idea of how much speed you need, think of how many devices in your house use the internet at the same time. If it’s just one or two screens streaming Netflix, then you could get by with a 50/20 (Home Standard) or possibly even a 25/10 (Home Basic 2) plan.

If you have multiple users, such as households with large families or share houses, you may need a 100/40 or 100/20 plan (Home Fast). 

Upload bandwidth is an important consideration for some people. If you or others in your home rely on cloud storage for large files or upload a lot of media, then 20Mbps is an advisable starting point, such as with a Home Standard or Home Fast plan.

ĚÇĐÄVlog tip: It’s usually easier to increase your plan’s speed than decrease it once you’ve signed up, so it might be a good idea to start low and go up if you need it. Check with a service representative before you sign up if you’ll incur additional fees for this. Or sign up to a no-contract plan, which should let you change your cap on a monthly basis as needed.

Data cap

Your current provider should offer a way to check your monthly download amounts online. Look over the last few months to get an idea of your maximum data usage per month.

Our advice? Go with something a little higher than your current usage, as it may fluctuate or increase over time, but you don’t necessarily need a 500GB or unlimited plan, even though these are fast becoming the norm.

The post Best NBN plans for speed appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

If you love your music, these are the wireless speakers to avoid buying. We’ve picked the worst performing models in various price categories so you can avoid the cheap and nasties as well as the high-priced duds.

How much do wireless speakers cost?

Depending on what you’re after, you can opt for: 

• a battery-powered portable speaker with a Bluetooth connection linked directly to your smart device so it’s 100% portable.
• a home speaker that has a wireless Wi-Fi connection so you can stream music over your home network. These are usually quite bulky and need to be plugged into a power outlet, so they aren’t really portable.
• a party speaker that’s large, loud and flashy. They’re designed for entertaining and can be transported in a vehicle or carried short distances.
• a smart screen with voice assistance and a display, which is perfect in your kitchen for viewing recipes or cooking videos, or in the bedroom for the morning news or a podcast (note these are no longer part of our test).

The cheapest models in our test cost around $50, while the high-end models can run as much as $3000. Portable speakers are available at cheap, mid-range and high price points, while home models usually start at mid-range and can get very expensive.

Party speakers are mostly in the mid-range, though there are a few models that cost over $1000. Smart screens hover around the $250 mark.

Sound quality tends to match the asking price when it comes to speakers and though there are plenty of exceptions (especially poor performers at the very expensive end), you can expect to pay around $500–$1000 for a good quality wireless speaker.

Of course, sound quality is subjective and cheaper models that didn’t earn the tick of approval from our experts aren’t necessarily terrible. It’s always best to have a listen to the speakers before you buy if you can, as you may find some that suit your needs, and your ears, at a much more affordable price point.

Wireless speakers are also steeply discounted during sales periods, particularly at big-name retailers like JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman. If you find a model you like but it’s outside your price range, hold out for a sale as it could drop by a very decent margin.

How we test wireless speakers

To make sure you get the best bass for your buck, our panel of experts listens to a range of music and audio. This includes classical, jazz, pop and speech with male and female vocals (i.e. a podcast). Technical measurements of frequency response and harmonic distortion are taken as well.

We also conduct a general ease of use assessment which covers setup, day-to-day use, the effectiveness of digital assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant (where available) and more. Lastly, battery life and power consumption are measured and scored.

We record battery life for portable speakers and annual energy consumption for home models, in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Lowest scoring speakers in our test

Here are the worst performing speakers across a range of price brackets, arranged in order from cheapest to most expensive.

Worst under $100: House of Marley Jammin

• Cost (RRP): $59
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 24%
• Sound quality score: 14%
• Ease of use score: 47%
• Power score: 63%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 9:32

In a testament to the enduring power of Bob Marley’s name and music, this speaker will make you want to get up, stand up – for a refund.

Not only is it the lowest scoring model in our test overall, it has the worst sound quality out of any currently available model we’ve tested. A moment for our expert’s ears, please.

Now granted, this cheap, rectangular cube isn’t designed to compete with a mid- to high-range model.

But even so, there are other speakers in this price category that sound so much better than the very poor sounds that soured our audio lab from this speaker.

Other test found it to be borderline at best and it’s not all that easy to use. Battery life and water resistance (light rain, splashes and mist) are decent, but your friends will send you home if you dare to bring a Jammin wireless speaker to the next outdoor event.

Read the full House of Marley Jammin review.

Worst between $101–200: JBL Grip

• Cost (RRP): $130
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 37%
• Sound quality score: 32%
• Ease of use score: 72%
• Power score: 39%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 6:38

The JBL Grip isn’t much bigger than a soft drink can. It doesn’t amplify the sound of your mobile phone much better, either.

Most of the marketing for this product seems to be geared towards outdoor entertaining – pool parties, picnics and twilight patio hangs.

So, does it bring the summertime vibes? No, if anything the Grip will make your friends want to move inside, away from the noise.

Small speakers aren’t going to have the best sound quality in the world but even so, 32% is pretty poor.

Where average audio can just fade into the background during a get-together, the JBL Grip sounds so bad, it’s distracting.

Read the full JBL Grip review.

Worst between $201–300: Audio Pro P5

• Cost (RRP): $249
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 38%
• Sound quality score: 37%
• Ease of use score: 59%
• Power score: 30%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 5:19

Audio Pro in name but barely Audio Pro in nature, maybe it would be best to rename this speaker the Audio Poor P5. Sound quality for classical, jazz and pop just isn’t very good at all, while battery life is among the worst in our test.

While you can’t expect amazing sound quality from a speaker of this size, it’s certainly big enough to deliver results better than those our experts heard.

Plus, you’re probably going to have trouble setting up and using the Pro P5 as the ease of use results are just OK. Sorry Mr Pro, but it’s time to go.

Read the full Audio Pro P5 review.

Worst between $301–400: Bose SoundLink Home

• Cost (RRP): $350
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 49%
• Sound quality score: 45%
• Ease of use score: 70%
• Power score: 53%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 7:29

The SoundLink range from Bose has been around for some time, though it’s never really risen above mediocrity. Sound quality has always been pretty middling across the selection of entry-level and mid-range speakers.

In keeping with tradition, the new SoundLink Home speaker is equally average, being all style and no substance. It’s the only Bose model to earn poor results in our audio test (45%), with flat, muddy sound that lacks impact.

While it looks quite nice with an overall modern design and some light retro touches, there’s no dust or moisture protection whatsoever. This makes the SoundLink Home a strictly indoor affair, basically limiting its portability to various spots around the room/home.

Read the full Bose SoundLink Home review.

Worst between $401–500: Bang & Olufsen Explore

• Cost (RRP): $460
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 38%
• Sound quality score: 33%
• Ease of use score: 53%
• Power score: 52%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 10:48

Bang & Olufsen, the iconic electronics brand, celebrated its 100th anniversary in November 2025, but the Explore portable speaker is nothing to celebrate.

These skilful Danes have built some legendary high-end audio products over the years but this wireless speaker is a classic example of paying extra for the branding alone.

There’s nothing here to suggest that the Explore meets the same lofty standards as the name suggests. So don’t be fooled by that B&O stamp.

The sound quality, ease of use and power results are similar to, or worse than, cheaper speakers in this article – not to mention many others in our test.

Features are almost identical too, so really, you can get the same performance for half the price of this model.

Read the full Bang & Olufsen Explore review.

Worst over $500: Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen

• Cost (RRP): $640
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 48%
• Sound quality score: 42%
• Ease of use score: 60%
• Power score: 69%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 11:44

The 2nd Gen version of this speaker was among the lowest performers for speakers at its price point – until now. Not content to rest on its laurels, B&O has worked hard to lower the bar even further with the 3rd Gen version, which sounds considerably worse.

This seems to be another case of B&O trading on its legacy alone, which is a shame. But it’s hard to excuse an updated speaker that drags audio quality down from sounding borderline (2nd Gen) to poor, while keeping the $640 price point.

How this happened is anyone’s guess, because the 3rd Gen is almost exactly the same size and weight as the previous iteration. In other words, there’s nothing to suggest that the core design has changed to the point that we can blame it for this significant drop in audio quality.

Battery life has improved, though. Maybe B&O moved the speaker out of the way to shove a bigger battery in? Don’t waste your money, in any case.

Read the full Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen review.

Worst high-end speaker: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Emerge

• Cost (RRP): $1850
• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 53%
• Sound quality score: 58%
• Ease of use score: 51%
• Power score: 29%
• Annual energy use (kWh): 50.55

We included this speaker to show you that price doesn’t always equal quality – and what a price to drive that point home! Bang & Olufsen has taken out a third spot in our list of duds and these results are particularly painful for $1850.

To be fair, the sleek, elegant, modern design does fit nicely into spaces like a study, reading nook and so on.

This speaker could easily blend in to deliver the effect of music emanating from nowhere and that alone does warrant a higher price.

But you want at least some substance to match that style and the borderline audio quality doesn’t come close to justifying the price. Looks, unfortunately, can so often deceive.

Read the full Bang & Olufsen Beosound Emerge review.

The post Wireless speakers to avoid appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

There are plenty of budget big and small screens around from major brands including LG, Samsung and Sony, and a few lesser-known brands you may want to avoid. Ever heard of a Konka TV? Exactly.

At the end of the day, even the best quality budget models aren’t going to match the quality of a more expensive TV. 

Here, we help you identify the things to look for in a cheaper model, issues to avoid, and how to get a great deal on something a little more upmarket.

And, exclusively for ĚÇĐÄVlog members, we reveal our picks for the best quality budget TVs from our tests. But rather than only listing the top scoring TVs in each price bracket, we’ve included a range of screen sizes where possible. Though 65-inch models tend to score higher, not everyone wants a big-screen TV.

If you’re already a member and you just want to see the best budget TVs, you can jump straight to the results now.

• How much should you spend on a budget TV?
• Budget vs expensive TVs – what’s the difference?
• What makes a good budget TV?
• What’s the best budget OLED TV?
• How to save money on an expensive TV
• ĚÇĐÄVlog picks for best budget TV

How much should you spend on a budget TV?

TVs can get expensive – like, really expensive. We’ve tested models that cost as much as $7000, and even those don’t come close to the most expensive models on the market. Some manufacturers sell TVs that cost over $10,000.

The budget range is a little more financially forgiving. TVs in this category cost anywhere from around $200 to around $1500. 

You can find some really solid 55–65-inch 4K TVs in the $1000–1500 price range. Most (but not all) models below $1000 have smaller screens of 32–55 inches.

Budget vs expensive TVs – what’s the difference?

Picture and sound are the key points of difference when looking at TVs on the opposite ends of the pricing scale. 

Budget TVs can still look quite good, but picture quality tends to lack the “wow” factor that you get from high-end models. They’re a bit more functional, and you won’t get the cinematic, impactful and highly-detailed pictures you can expect from a high-end machine.

A good-quality, expensive TV should also be able to get the most out of standard and high definition (SD and HD) content by upscaling the video. 

Sound quality on a cheaper TV, on the other hand, usually ranges from OK to downright unlistenable. Sure, you’re probably not expecting an audiophile experience if you’re on a budget, but some low-cost TV speakers sound no better than a smartphone. That’s not an exaggeration.

There are five key areas where you’ll notice a difference between expensive and budget televisions:

1. Picture quality
2. Sound quality
3. Upscaling capabilities
4. Screen size
5. General performance

1. Picture quality

The first thing to look for is colour quality. At lower price points, it really comes down to what you feel comfortable watching rather than the colours being strictly accurate, but there are some persistent issues that you may find distracting.

Colours may not look quite right, and some scenes may be too bright or too dark, creating an unbalanced, blotchy and perhaps even fluorescent look.

And high dynamic range doesn’t always process correctly, which can cause other colour issues. Some particularly egregious examples from our tests have turned yellows into greens, for example.

It’s always best to trial a TV in store before buying. Keep an eye on the overall picture quality and look for these specific issues:

Washed-out colours: The picture can look faded, bland and lifeless, especially in brighter scenes. Dark scenes can look flat and dull.

Oversaturated colours: Colours look too vibrant and over the top, almost cartoonish.

Though this is eye-catching at first, an oversaturated picture obscures detail, can be exhausting to watch and looks unrealistic.

Smearing: TVs eliminate grain (aka noise) on their default settings. This can create a smeared appearance if the noise reduction software is sub-par.

You can really notice it during rapid motion such as action scenes, car chases and sports.

Excessive contrast: This is a lazy way to try to make the picture “pop” that actually eliminates detail in blacks and shadows, over-saturates colours and looks fake.

Grey-looking blacks: Cheaper screens (aka panels) don’t display blacks very well and often end up looking like various shades of grey.

This can negatively impact immersion and picture quality when watching scenes shot in dark environments or at night.

Artifacting (aka fragmenting): The image temporarily breaks up and looks blocky in certain fast-moving portions of the scene.

For example, if a character is spinning a sword, the character will look fine, but the sword can break up and appear fragmented.

Banding: Budget TVs often struggle to blend colour shades as parts of the scene get brighter or darker – e.g. from a dark blue to light blue sky.

Instead, they display distinct lines, shades and blocks, which can be very distracting.

You can sort out some of these issues by selecting different picture modes. Filmmaker mode, for example, turns off most of the post-processing software that may be the source of picture problems.

2. Sound quality

After years of TV testing, we’ve found that budget models tend to skimp on sound quality, especially in the smaller units (under 55 inches). 

It’s not uncommon for budget TVs with reasonable picture quality to earn poor or very poor scores in our sound quality tests.

Audio can be harsh, tinny and lacking bass. Dialogue is often difficult to understand and some of the worst examples have occasional to persistent distortion sounds, such as crackling, hiss or a general fuzziness.

3. Upscaling SD and HD to 4K

Instead of just stretching lower resolution content to fit a high-res display (which looks awful), upscaling essentially generates extra pixels on the fly. This helps fill the gaps between SD, HD and 4K, so that SD and HD look as good as possible on an ultra-high-definition screen.

Budget TVs aren’t always very good at this. On a medium- to high-end 55-inch TV, SD video can look good, and HD often looks very good to excellent. But cheaper TVs deliver HD footage that’s only passable to OK, and SD often falls below that benchmark.

Keep this in mind if you like to watch older movies or shows that haven’t had the 4K treatment. Also note that a number of Australian TV stations, such as 7flix, 9GO! and 10 Peach Comedy, only broadcast in standard definition.

4. Screen size

Budget big screens rarely look good, as the size only serves to emphasise shortcomings in picture quality. 

Regardless of your budget, it’s important to try to match the TV size to your room. Not only will this improve the viewing experience, but it will limit the impact of issues like eye and neck strain.

At the smaller end of the scale, you may be tempted by a good deal on a 32-inch TV, but it’s going to cause all sorts of issues if the couch is more than a couple of metres back from the TV.

5. General performance

There are two display issues that, while present in some expensive TVs, are much more common in cheaper models.

Light bleed: the TV’s backlight excessively illuminates areas around the edge of the screen, which causes blooming effects (inconsistent blotches of white light). It can be very distracting especially when you’re watching widescreen movies with black bars at the top and bottom.

Narrow viewing angle: picture quality starts to degrade as you sit further to the left or right of the screen. Really cheap screens start to look bad if you’re more than a metre or so to the left or right of centre.

Another common issue relates to the hardware on the TV itself.

Limited HDMI ports: small TVs often fall into the budget category and they often lack the room for more than two HDMI ports. This may be a problem if you have lots of peripherals – such as a games console, Blu-ray player and media streamer – to plug in at once.

Cheaper TVs can also feel a bit slower, or less responsive, overall. Apps can take longer to load, streaming quality may look a little rough or juddery (when slow pans don’t look smooth), and there can be a noticeable lag between pressing a button on the remote and the action occurring on screen, such as when scrolling through a list of apps.

An easy, low-cost way to avoid these issues is a streaming device. These plug into an HDMI port and tend to deliver much better streaming performance than budget TVs.

What makes a good budget TV?

Our advice when shopping for a budget TV is to prioritise a balanced picture over everything else. You don’t want something that’s too bright at times and too dark at others, with colours that don’t look quite right. 

Even if the picture doesn’t “pop” as much as an expensive TV, a balanced picture still makes for a nice viewing experience.

Try to avoid TVs that look washed out and too bright or oversaturated. Dark or night scenes can be really hard to watch on TVs like these as blacks turn grey and just look ugly.

A budget TV ($1500 or less for a 55–65-inch 4K model) could be a suitable purchase if you can live with OK sound quality and some general performance issues such as input lag. It’s also possible to fix these problems with a decent soundbar and streaming device, with budget options available for those as well.

What’s the best budget OLED TV?

If you’re in the market for an OLED TV, start saving or wait for a sale. Most of these TVs don’t fall within the budget category in Australia.

Budget models tend to have LCD screens. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there are some differences to be aware of.

LCD screens are typically brighter than OLED, which makes them a better option for rooms with lots of natural light. But colours tend to be not quite as rich or vibrant, and dark scenes can look a little grey.

This is because LCD screens can’t display true blacks. Instead, they try to get as close as possible by using very dark, dim greys.

How to save money on an expensive TV

Just because you’re shopping on a budget doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your dream TV. Plenty of mid-range and high-end models have steep discounts applied during sales periods such as end of financial year and Black Friday – sometimes as much as 50%.

Apart from these major sales periods, there’s another opportunity around March each year to pick up a bargain, specifically on the previous year’s stock. 

Major manufacturers such as LG, Samsung and Sony announce their new TVs at the beginning of the year, followed by local prices closer to the launch, generally from around March onwards.

Local retailers then start shifting their remaining old stock at a price that’s usually lower than the standard sales periods.

Granted, the TVs will be a year old at this point, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker. While TV tech used to change a lot from year to year, improvements have become much more incremental. Unless you absolutely need the latest tech, last year’s model will tick all the boxes.

The catch? TVs sold during this period are in short supply and unlikely to be restocked. Your dream TV may have already been discontinued – or sold out – by the time these clearance sales roll around.

So if there’s a model you really have your heart set on, you might be better off picking it up during the major sales, like Black Friday, rather than waiting till the following March or April for the bargain-basement runout sales.

ĚÇĐÄVlog picks for best budget TV

We’ve tested plenty of TVs that cost less than $1500 across a range of screen sizes. Budget models that range from 32 to 65 inches have come through our labs, including 23 models that are currently available in retailers.

Most of these didn’t score highly enough to be recommended, and some really cheap models are among our lowest performers. But some models may still be worth considering if you’re working with a limited budget.

Of all the TVs in our test, one in particular rose to the top to be the cream of the low-cost crop. 

Only ĚÇĐÄVlog members can access our detailed testing data. If you’re not yet a member, join ĚÇĐÄVlog to get instant access to all our expert, independent reviews, from coffee machines and grinders, to kettles and cots, toasters and TVs, and more.

Or log in to unlock this article and find out our experts’ top pick for a budget TV, along with our list of the best TVs under $1000 or $500.

The post The best budget TVs from our test appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

But how do you tell the A-list models from the B-grade pretenders? After all, retailers tinker with the settings and pick particular content to make TVs look as eye-catching as possible on the show floor. The things you see in store barely match the look of movies and shows at home – unless you’re really into stock footage of nature.

A movie lover’s guide to buying a TV – what to look for

A good TV is all about immersion. You want a screen that evenly delivers visual impact (aka pop) and accurate, balanced colour. A super-saturated or high-contrast screen may catch your eye at first but it doesn’t suit cinematic movies and shows, and that can break the immersion.

Deep, rich blacks are also a big tick, rather than soft, murky greys. These can really suck the life out of darker scenes, particularly night time sequences.

Also look for a TV that doesn’t aggressively remove film grain. While newer movies shot digitally can look squeaky clean, older ones that used film will have some grain (aka noise).

TVs can remove it to varying degrees, but the picture can look soft, smeared and lacking in detail if the noise reduction goes too far. We look for a clean image that still retains detail and doesn’t apply aggressive noise-reduction during our tests.

Image processing and Filmmaker mode

TVs will, by default, process video to try to make it look as good as possible for different viewing situations – this is what the different picture settings like vivid, sports and movie mode are. But they don’t always hit the mark, which is why most TVs include an industry standard setting called Filmmaker mode.

It turns off all the image processing to get the picture quality as close to the cinematic intentions of the people behind the lens. We included it in our 4K UHD test to determine whether performance improves with image processing turned off. The difference is stark in some cases.

Upscaling standard and high-definition to 4K

Almost all modern TVs use a 4K screen, but the majority of movies and shows are only available in SD (standard definition) and HD (high definition). This is where upscaling comes into play.

Instead of just stretching lower resolution content to fit a high-res display (which looks awful), upscaling essentially generates extra pixels on the fly. This helps fill the gaps between SD, HD and 4K, so that SD and HD look as good as possible on an ultra-high definition screen.

With so many movies and shows yet to make the jump to 4K, it’s important to find a TV with good upscaling software. This is included in our SD and HD movie scores.

Issues to look out for

TVs with cheaper components can’t process video very well, which can snap you out of a particularly engaging movie moment. It’s a classic case of ‘you had one job’. Look for TVs with these issues and avoid them like a late-career Michael Bay movie.

• Artifacting (aka fragmenting): the image temporarily breaks up and looks blocky in certain fast-moving portions of the scene.
• Banding: the TV struggles to blend colour shades as parts of the screen get brighter or darker, leaving distinct lines, shades and blocks that look like bands.
• Light bleed: The TV’s backlight excessively illuminates areas around the edge of the screen, which causes blooming effects (inconsistent blotches of white light).
• Narrow viewing angle: The picture quality starts to degrade as you sit further to the left or right of the screen. Not the best experience when your mates come over for movie night.

OLED vs LCD TVs for movies and shows

According to our experts, an OLED (organic light emitting diode) display is definitely the showstopper here, but LCD (liquid-crystal display) has its advantages.

LCD TVs (which cover a bunch of sub categories such as QLED and mini-LED) require a light source behind their screen panel, meaning they can go very dark grey but never fully black. By comparison, OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens have lights integrated within each diode and they can simply turn off when required, giving you true blacks.

OLED TVs tend to deliver more accurate, vivid and richer colours but they can’t get quite as bright. LCD, meanwhile, is usually brighter than OLED, so it could be a preferred option if you watch TV a lot during the day or in a well-lit room.

Price is also a factor. OLED TVs are almost always more expensive than their LCD counterparts, though they can be heavily discounted during sales periods – by as much as 40% on occasion.

Do you need a big screen TV?

Huge TVs aren’t exactly necessary, but the bigger the screen, the closer you’ll get to bringing the cinema experience home. Aim for a 55-inch model at the very least but ideally, look for a 65- or 75/77-inch display.

The right TV size does depend on the size of the room. There are optimal viewing distances for HD and 4K content and you’re not going to get the best experience if you sit too close or too far from TVs of a certain size.

Using a 65-inch TV as an example, the best distance for HD content is 240cm, while for 4K it’s 125–215cm. Yes, you read that correctly, it’s best to sit a bit closer to see all the detail in 4K.

Field of view (FOV) is important as well. It’s best to position the TV, or your couch, at a point where your FOV sits at the edges of the screen, which is about 30 degrees.

This is suitable for all types of content – movies, shows, sport etc – but hardcore film buffs can sit a little closer in the 40-degree range. This position feels more like a cinema, but may not work for shows, sports and gaming.

Is a soundbar worth buying?

Short answer, yes. Audio is a vital part of the cinema experience and even the best TV speakers are usually pretty average. They certainly can’t fill a room with the kind of sound that really gets the blood pumping during exciting or emotional movie moments.

As a starting point, look for a soundbar that can simulate basic surround sound, which is usually referred to as 5.1. Then you can investigate higher end options that will enhance the experience.

Some let you connect additional speakers to place at the back of the room to deliver genuine surround sound. Others can simulate a feature called object-based audio, aka Dolby Atmos and DTS-X. This adds height channels (speakers) to the mix so you can hear sounds above your ears as well as around them.

Some TV and soundbar manufacturers offer bonus features if you buy certain models within the same brand, such as a Samsung soundbar and TV. We’ve written a guide to this you may find useful.

It’s showtime! The best TVs for movies and series revealed

To test TVs, our expert panellists watch a range of movie scenes in standard definition (DVD), high definition (Blu-ray) and ultra-high definition (4K).

The same scenes are viewed on every TV so they can directly compare picture quality and performance using films you’re likely to watch at home. All tested models are 65 inches unless otherwise stated.

Usually our scores for movies feed into our overall ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating for each TV, but we’ve pulled them out individually below so you can see how each model performs specifically for this metric. 

Only ĚÇĐÄVlog members can access our detailed testing data. If you’re not yet a member, join ĚÇĐÄVlog to get instant access to all our expert, independent reviews, from coffee machines and grinders, to kettles and cots, toasters and TVs, and more.

If you’re a Disney+ die-hard or you love chilling with Netflix, read on to discover our top tested picks for flicks and streaming shows.

The post The best TVs for watching movies and streaming shows appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Mid-year sales are upon us and the remaining 2025 TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony and more are being shown the door to make way for new releases.

Our experts have thoroughly assessed last year’s television models that are now available for a great price.

TV technology and features don’t tend to change as much as they used to from year to year, so you’re unlikely to miss out on much by buying a slightly older model at a discount. But you still need to know what to look for so you don’t end up paying full price for a TV that’s a year or two old.

Understanding TV model numbers and codes will help you walk into the store with confidence that you’ll know what to buy, especially if you’re looking to negotiate a better price.

On this page:

• When are new TVs available to buy?
• How to get the best deal on new a TV
• How to use the product code to save money on a TV
• How to use ĚÇĐÄVlog reviews to score a cheap TV
• Other tips for buying a new TV

When are new TVs available to buy?

The 2026 TV rollout is ongoing. There are plenty of new models on shelves with a few more to come over the next month or so.

Most of the latest Samsung and LG TVs were released in April and early May, with Hisense following not long after, launching RGB MiniLED TVs in late April. At the time of writing, Sony had announced a couple of new TVs coming in early July. More are likely to be announced but not till later in the year.

TCL has a number of LED, mini-LED and QLED models in stores as well. There’s a good selection available if you’re looking for more affordable options now, with more to arrive in July and August.

The number of TV types, sizes and models available will vary, with LG and Samsung offering the widest range. You can find also plenty of low-cost alternatives from brands like ChiQ, Blaupunkt and Ffalcon, but they don’t appear to follow a set release schedule.

We still get asked about which Panasonic TV to buy and our answer is – none of them! The only place you should be seeing a Panasonic TV for sale is on Gumtree, as the company stopped selling TVs in Australia just before COVID broke out in early 2020.

How to get the best deal on new a TV

The trick is to know which TVs are 2026 releases and which are from 2025 or earlier. Make sure the salesperson knows that the TV they’re selling you may be the greatest, but it’s not the latest.

TVs from 2025 and earlier will offer the best bargains, but most 2026 TVs will have decent discounts applied as well. You may also find some very good deals on newer TVs that haven’t been selling too well.

Keep an eye out for 8K resolution models from 2025 as they often drop to “bargain”, prices as consumers remain unmoved by 8K. Apparently the industry has finally gotten the message, as there are no new 8K models slated for release in 2026 by any brand.

Some retailers are more transparent than others, letting you filter TVs by year of release on their websites. They may also specify the year alongside some models.

Others may not be entirely forthcoming with this information, but it’s out there. You just need to know where to look.

The secret is in the TV product codes. Each brand uses specific numbers and letters to identify various aspects of their TVs, including the year of release. It’s the kind of thing “retailers don’t want you to know” (if we’re going to get all clickbait journalism about it).

How to use the product code to save money on a TV

A TV’s product code doesn’t just tell you the size and specifications. It also contains information on the year of release.

But this information is complicated, which is why we’ve broken down the codes for the four major brands below. Click each brand name to pick up a wealth of information that might surprise pushy salespeople.

Brand-by-brand guide to TV product codes

How to use ĚÇĐÄVlog reviews to score a cheaper TV

In addition to new releases, our TV reviews also feature older models that are listed as discontinued. Models from 2025 will probably reappear in the sales at a drastically reduced price, and disappear just as quickly.

We keep discontinued models in our test for this very reason. You can see the results for older models by ticking the discontinued checkbox in the “related products” tab (left side of the screen for computers, or under ‘filter and sort’ for mobile).

When shopping for a TV online, make sure your searches include the exact model name that’s in our review as well as the size so you can determine the online retailer with the best price. If you find the model in a size above or below the ĚÇĐÄVlog tested TV in the same series, rest assured that you will get similar performance, especially for the ease of use and picture quality.

Also, avoid simply clicking on a retailer on the first page of the search results, as stores that appear in the first few results often pay for the privilege of being at the top. 

Other tips for buying a new TV

Getting a good deal is one thing. But there are a few other points to consider so you can find a TV that doesn’t just suit your entertainment needs, but also your living space.

Is your lounge room big enough for your big TV?

Buying the biggest TV then showing it off to your mates is a rite of passage. But you may wind up with a TV that’s uncomfortably oversized depending on the size of the room.

The ideal viewing distance for a 65-inch 4K TV – the most popular size in Australia – is 1.25 to 2.5 metres. If your room size forces you to sit closer, or if you really want a larger TV, then a 4K TV may be a good option to avoid that pixelation. 

High-definition allows a bit more flexibility. You can sit up to 2.4 metres away if you’re watching HD video, even on a 4K TV.  Although remember, you’ll need to be watching 4K video for the best quality picture.

Also of note is the logistical issue of getting your TV home if you bought it instore. A 65-inch TV in the box seems to be the limit for all cars that aren’t actually delivery vehicles. 

So make sure you negotiate delivery and installation if you can’t get them to lower the price on that 75-inch or 86-inch monster TV.

TVs are getting brighter

There’s a push to get the nit levels (screen brightness) up on TVs. Some argue that the less than ideal TV-watching environment in many homes means more brightness is required to see all the content on a TV screen in a brightly lit room. 

There’s a degree of truth to this, but the TV needs to be correctly optimised for very bright content, otherwise you’ll end up losing details in very bright scenes.

If you have a good TV-watching environment where you can control the ambient light, then you want the best TV, not the brightest.

Look at the picture and decide whether you can see all the detail in the bright and dark areas of the scene, as that’s the main aspect to consider – not what the salesperson tells you is best.

Saving money on a soundbar

TVs aren’t the only home entertainment products on sale. This is also a great time to pick up a soundbar on the cheap, especially if it’s from the same manufacturer as your TV.

Bundling soundbars and TVs together into a single sale is a great way to haggle a bit more money off the overall cost and it’s worth the work. Because even the best sounding TV speakers are no match for a good-quality soundbar, especially when it’s time to watch movies at home.

Read our latest soundbars review to find the best models.

The post How to buy a bargain TV in the sales appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.