Maybe you haven’t made the upgrade to 4K yet. Maybe you’re looking for a second TV for the bedroom. Maybe you’re just exploring your options. Whatever your reasons, you might be searching for a good deal on a new TV. Something big, sharp, bright, colorful, and most importantly, something that won’t break the bank. We have you covered with a selection of affordable TVs that suit nearly any budget.
We’ve generally considered “cheap” TVs to be less than $1,000 for a 65-inch screen. Our definition has shifted a bit in light of component shortages and logistical problems these past few years; several TVs that once cost under $1,000 saw price bumps of a few hundred dollars in that time. Stepping down to a 55-inch screen keeps prices well under a grand for these excellent models, but if you don’t mind some compromises in picture quality, you can still find a 65-inch TV that meets the mark. We highlight 65-inch models under $1,000 on this list when they’re available (and there’s even a 75-inch screen from Toshiba that comes in under four digits).
Read on for the top cheap TVs we’ve tested, along with everything you need to know about getting the best deal.
The Best TV Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
TCL 4K 6-Series Google TV
Best Overall Value
Why We Picked It
TCL’s 4K 6-Series Google TV is simply one of the best overall values. It has excellent contrast and color, along with plenty of features because of its Google TV interface. Its far-field microphone supports hands-free Google Assistant, and you can even mirror your Android phone or Chrome tab through Google Cast. Most importantly, it comes in below the $1,000-for-65-inches line.
Who It’s For
This is a fantastic TV if you want great picture quality and a good set of features for a reasonable price. It doesn’t do anything fancy outside of Google TV’s scope and doesn’t have any particularly stylish flourishes, but it’s still an excellent value.
PROS
- Excellent contrast and color performance
- Google TV with Google Cast and hands-free Google Assistant
- Low input lag
CONS
- No AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync
- No Apple AirPlay
Learn More
Hisense U6K
Best Picture for the Price
Why We Picked It
The sweet spot for excellent picture quality at an affordable price has hovered around $1,000 for 65-inch models for a few years. TVs below that price often force you to deal with significant compromises. The Hisense U6K certainly doesn’t offer top-of-the-line picture quality, but the compromises it makes are the most reasonable we’ve seen yet. This TV has fantastic color, covering almost all of the DCI-P3 digital cinema color space with excellent accuracy out of the box. It also offers tons of features because of its Google TV interface. You get far-field microphones for hands-free Google Assistant, as well as support for Apple AirPlay and Google Cast. It isn’t the brightest TV, but you’ll need to spend more if you want a screen that can put out more light for better contrast.
Who It’s For
If you want lots of features and fairly strong picture quality, but that $1,000-for-65-inches price is a bit too high for your budget, this is one of the best choices. The Apple AirPlay and Google Cast support make it appealing to households with both Android and iPhone users, too. Just understand that you can get a much brighter and higher-contrast picture for only a bit more money.
PROS
- Excellent color
- Improved black levels and contrast from previous generation
- Google TV, Google Cast, and hands-free Google Assistant
- Apple AirPlay
- Low input lag
CONS
- Not particularly bright
- Colors in Theater Day mode are inaccurate
Learn More
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
The Best Fire TV
Why We Picked It
Although Amazon’s original Fire TV Omni disappointed us, the Fire TV Omni QLED offers a much better picture for around the same low price. It still doesn’t get very bright, but its color performance is strong and it’s loaded with Fire TV features such as hands-free Alexa. It also supports Apple AirPlay.
Who It’s For
This is a budget TV for Amazon users who already have Echo smart speakers elsewhere in the house. It doesn’t cost much, and it works just like a Fire TV Cube, which is a bit pricey by itself.
PROS
- Excellent color and strong contrast
- Hands-free Amazon Alexa
- Inexpensive
CONS
- Not particularly bright
- Light bloom can overpower shadow detail
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TCL 6-Series 4K Roku TV
The Best Roku TV
Why We Picked It
TCL’s latest 6-Series Roku TV remains one of our favorite values (along with the 6-Series Google TV higher up on this list). It’s not quite as color-accurate or feature-rich as the Google TV version, but it still offers excellent contrast, wide color, and Apple AirPlay for a very reasonable price. It’s the best Roku TV available, even if we can name a few Google TV models we prefer overall.
Who It’s For
The Roku TV platform is appealing for its simplicity; it doesn’t try to do a lot outside of just loading and playing content. It doesn’t include a voice assistant or a comprehensive home screen that controls smart devices either, just apps and basic voice search capabilities. Add Apple AirPlay, strong contrast, and a lower price than the equivalent TCL and Hisense Google TVs, and you have a worthy contender.
PROS
- Very high contrast
- Wide colors
- Low input lag with AMD FreeSync Pro and 144Hz support
CONS
- White balance is a bit skewed out of the box
Learn More
Vizio 50-Inch M-Series Quantum X TV
Best Cheap Gaming TV
Why We Picked It
The Vizio M50QXM-K01 is one of the best inexpensive gaming TVs available, offering features that other cheap TVs like the Hisense U6H lack. Specifically, it has a 120Hz panel with both standard variable refresh rate (VRR) and AMD FreeSync Premium, and its input lag is quite low. The TV’s colors are incredibly wide (perhaps to a fault; without tweaks it can occasionally look oversaturated). It uses Vizio’s SmartCast platform, too, so it has both Apple AirPlay and Google Cast. Its only major weakness is contrast; this is a relatively dim panel with only modest black levels. The contrast, incidentally, is why we’re being specific to the 50-inch model here; Vizio claims the 65- and 75-inch versions in the same line get significantly brighter, and we can’t make a judgement on them without testing them ourselves.
Who It’s For
This is for budget-minded gamers looking for a very big monitor or a medium-sized TV. 50 inches isn’t exactly small, but it’s still less screen than the more common 55- and 65-inch TV sizes. The big draw for the M50QXM-K01 is gaming; 120Hz panels are rare on budget TVs, and both VRR and FreeSync Premium are nice bonuses. The wide colors and occasionally washed-out black levels can also provide a bit of an advantage in gaming, making enemies in shadows stand out more than they would with a completely accurate picture with inky blacks.
PROS
- Wide, balanced colors
- Fast 120Hz panel with low input lag and several desirable gaming features including 1080p240 mode
- SmartCast supports both Apple AirPlay and Google Cast
CONS
- Doesn’t get particularly bright
- Colors sometimes look slightly oversaturated
- Shadow details can appear washed out
Learn More
Toshiba 75-Inch C350 Series Fire TV
Biggest Cheap TV
Why We Picked It
In all honesty, this isn’t the best TV. This Amazon Fire TV-powered Toshiba model follows the trend we mention above about Fire TV televisions simply not being top-notch. It’s quite dim and doesn’t support hands-free Alexa, for instance, but the big appeal here is its price. The 75-inch model costs under $1,000—and you can often get it for even less. For comparison, most TVs we recommend for around the same price are of the 65-inch variety.
Who It’s For
If you want the biggest possible TV for your money and don’t mind making a lot of compromises to get there, the Toshiba C350 is the one for you. That’s about it.
PROS
- Affordable
- Amazon Alexa voice control
- Low input lag
- Available in large sizes
CONS
- Dim panel
- Poor contrast
- Awkwardly placed inputs
Learn More
Buying Guide: The Best Cheap TVs for 2023
What Is the Best Cheap TV Brand?
The biggest names in TVs include LG, Samsung, Sony, and other brands that enjoy a global presence. Big names don’t always mean the best values, however. Although we’ve seen some incredible TVs from these manufacturers, they’re almost all flagship models that cost a few thousand dollars each. Their more affordable TVs are often less impressive and generally get much less attention.
The best brands for budget TVs might be unfamiliar to you: Hisense and TCL. These Chinese companies have made inroads in the US over the last several years with highly affordable models that offer surprisingly good picture quality. They occupy the land Vizio used to dominate, one which that company has somewhat ceded to maintain its strong position in the midrange TV market.
TV Tips For New TV Buyers
The Best Cheap 4K TVs
We’re far past the point where 4K is a high-end luxury, especially with 8K gearing up to become a major force in a few years (emphasis on years; don’t worry about it yet). You might be able to find a smaller TV that’s still 1080p, but most screens on the market are 4K. With that in mind, we recommend you don’t go any lower than 4K.
Simply put, there is no reason to buy a 1080p TV at this point. 4K models offer many advantages and no longer demand a premium price. In addition to being sharper, 4K TVs are more likely to support high dynamic range (HDR), which means they can be brighter and more colorful than 1080p TVs with standard dynamic range. And, since most major streaming services support 4K HDR now, you can get plenty of 4K content out of the box without worrying about replacing your DVD or Blu-ray collection.
The Best Cheap Smart TVs
Like 4K, smart TV platforms are now basically universal even for budget TVs. If you get a new TV, it likely has some way to watch Netflix, and probably many other streaming services, too. Because of Amazon Fire TV, Android/Google TV, and Roku TV, any television manufacturer can easily slot a connected interface into their product. This is part of how Hisense and TCL have made such strong gains in the budget TV market; they rely on the prebuilt Android/Google TV or Roku TV packages, which don’t require any internal development effort. The majority of TVs on this list use one of these three third-party smart TV platforms.
Top TVs of 2020
What’s the Difference Between Cheap and Expensive TVs?
Cheaper TVs generally don’t get as bright as pricier panels; they have higher black levels that result in much lower contrast ratios; and they don’t have nearly as wide color ranges. Moreover, the devices are usually a bit thicker and typically look less streamlined than mid-range and high-end offerings.
Near the high end of the budget range (around $1,000 for 55 inches), you can find some excellent TVs with fairly bright panels, dark blacks, wide colors, and stylish designs. However, if you want to pay less, expect to get less in terms of picture quality and design. That said, you really can’t go wrong with any of the options we’ve tested here.
Recommended by Our Editors
Meanwhile, if money is no object, take a look at our list of the best TVs overall, the best 65-inch TVs, and the best 75-inch (and up) TVs. And if a fast response time is important to you, consider one of the best TVs for gaming.
For more buying advice, see our story on what TV model numbers and SKUs actually mean.
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