Articles by James Davidson, TV Hardware Staff Writer, Home Entertainment

James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. After studying English Literature and Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, he rekindled a childhood love for writing and creating stories that soon translated into the world of freelance writing, primarily for music blogs. Eventually getting into the world of TV and hi-fi, James honed a knowledge and passion for all things audio and visual. He is now bringing this experience to Tech Radar to write about the latest TV- related tech and give readers all the info they need. When not writing and reading about the latest audio and visual goodies, James can be found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea for a novel.

Articles by: James Davidson

Philips OLED809 with red flowers on screen with red ambilight

Philips OLED809 review: a colourful mid-range OLED TV with Ambilight that rivals the LG C4

By James Davidson published 17 August 24

Recommended

The Philips OLED809 delivers on nearly all fronts and sets itself as one of the best mid-range OLED TVs of 2024

TCL C855 review: easily one of the most impressive budget mini-LED TVs you can buy

By James Davidson published 16 August 24

Recommended

The TCL C855 is an affordable mini-LED TV for the sizes it comes in – but it's so much more than just another mid-range option

Sanus VLT7-B2 review: a sturdy, premium tilting wall-mount for TVs of nearly every size

By James Davidson published 14 August 24

Recommended

The Sanus VLT7 serves a large variety of sizes and has good functionality – but it comes at a price

Want an elite TV for a mid-range price? These 3 sets from last year are awesome and now much cheaper

By James Davidson published 10 August 24

You can save big money by buying a 2023 model-year TV, and in many cases, the features and performance will be equivalent to new TVs.

Google TV Streamer price leak reveals a big price hike over Chromecast, but it still undercuts the Apple TV 4K

By James Davidson published 5 August 24

The new Google TV Streamer is set to be a rival to the Apple TV 4K, and a pricing leak suggests it will be cheaper – but there'll be a price jump over the Chromecast.

Hisense U6N listing image with butterfly on screen

Hisense U6N review: a plucky, budget mini-LED 4K TV that demonstrates good value

By James Davidson published 4 August 24

The Hisense U6N won't dethrone more premium mini-LED sets any time soon, but it offers mini-LED backlighting for cheaper than any other TV

Major UK retailer says its 4K and Blu-ray sales are rising, and it should be a wake-up call for ad-riddled streaming sites

By James Davidson published 22 July 24

HMV confirms its physical media sales are on the rise – are we finally seeing people steer away from the ever price-increasing streaming giants?

Samsung QN85D review: a solid mini-LED 4K TV, but there are better-value rivals

By James Davidson published 11 July 24

The mini-LED TV market is extremely competitive, and while the Samsung QN85D is impressive, it will struggle against budget rivals due to its higher price tag.

Samsung QN85D and Hisense U7N with sunset on screen

I tested affordable Samsung and Hisense mini-LED 4K TVs side-by-side, and the results surprised me

By James Davidson published 6 July 24

The Samsung QN85D and Hisense U7N are very similar in terms of specs – but not price. Here's how they compared in our testing.

The OnePlus Watch 2, Fujifilm X100VI and Motorola Razr 2024

The best tech of 2024 so far – the 11 finest gadgets we've tested and what's coming next

By Mark Wilson published 6 July 24

We're halfway through 2024 – so we've picked the best tech that we've tested this year so far, and looked ahead to the next six months.

I'm starting to believe in 8K TVs, and Hisense’s latest move makes me hopeful for an affordable future

By James Davidson published 4 July 24

Hisense has joined the 8K association, which makes me (a former 8K TV skeptic) optimistic about cheaper 8K TVs arriving.

The year so far in OLED TVs: the 4 best launches and what’s coming next

By James Davidson published 29 June 24

2024 has already proved to be a wild year for OLED TVs, so we've pulled together all the stories that you need to know.

Hisense U7N review: a budget mini-LED 4K TV that out-performs its price

By James Davidson published 28 June 24

Recommended

The Hisense U7N joins a packed mini-LED TV market and demonstrates itself as an excellent budget option.

Hisense AX5125H review: impressive Dolby Atmos performance in an affordable soundbar system

By James Davidson published 22 June 24

Recommended

The Hisense AX5125H proves that you don't need to spend a fortune to get great Dolby Atmos sound.

Sony X95L and Hisense U6N displaying dusk horizon

I tested a premium and budget mini-LED 4K TV side-by-side – here are the real-world differences

By James Davidson published 15 June 24

As the popularity of mini-LED TVs increases, I put an entry-level and premium LED TV side-by-side to compare their picture quality.

The latest Roku TV update has turned on motion smoothing for some users – and they're not happy

By James Davidson published 13 June 24

Roku TV users are experiencing motion smoothing on their TVs since updating to Roku OS 13 – with no way to control it.

Samsung QN800D with sunset palm tree on screen

Samsung QN800D review: an impressive 8K TV that proves they still have a place in the world

By James Davidson published 13 June 24

Recommended

The Samsung QN800D showcases what 8K TVs are capable of. It's undoubtedly expensive, but if you have the budget, its excellent features and performance could make it worthwhile.

The Euro 2024 trophy on a pedestal in front of some colorful signage

Euro 2024: I review TVs for a living, and here are my top 3 4K TVs for all budgets

By James Davidson published 8 June 24

Upgrade your Euro 2024 with these three TV options that suit every budget and are sure to enhance every game.

Forget 115-inch 4K TVs – TCL says 130-inch sets are coming soon, with 150 inches on the horizon

By James Davidson published 7 June 24

TCL, already familiar with pushing TVs to their boundaries, is looking to dwarf its 115-inch LED TVs with even larger sets as its new manufacturing systems come online.

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: a feature-rich TV that suffers from mini-LED's biggest flaw

By James Davidson published 2 June 24

The LG QNED90T/91T is a decent TV with plenty of smart features. However, its performance is obscured by inconsistent picture and sound quality.

I've been skeptical about 8K, but I'm testing one of Samsung's new 8K mini-LED TVs and I'm starting to believe

By James Davidson published 25 May 24

Samsung has regularly flown the 8K flag and while I have been skeptical in the past, my time with the Samsung QN800D has me thinking differently.

Never lose your remote again – Google TV introduces a new Find My Remote feature in Android 14 for TV

By James Davidson published 22 May 24

Reference to a Find My Remote feature has been found within an early access build of Android 14 for TV – meaning no more lost remotes for Google TV devices.

I saw a Dolby Atmos home theater room using a reference Bowers & Wilkins system and it was mind-blowing

By James Davidson published 18 May 24

A reference-level cinema with $100K-plus worth of equipment to watch A Star is Born and Top Gun: Maverick? Yes, please.

Sony ULT Wear review: solid mid-range headphones that are heavy on bass

By James Davidson last updated 17 May 24

Sony fills a mid-range gap in its headphone lineup with the ULT Wear, which offers good sound and plenty of features but isn't quite best-in-class.

Samsung S95D and Panasonic MZ1500 with sunset image on screen

I tested Samsung's glare-free OLED TV vs a conventional OLED TV – here's what I learned

By James Davidson published 11 May 24

New OLED Glare Free tech dramatically reduces reflections on the Samsung S95D's screen - but how does it compare to a conventional OLED TV?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
View Archive