In the months following the biggest game of the year, TV deals have begun to dwindle. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any worthwhile sales; just that you have to work harder to find the standout deals. Let PCMag do all the heavy lifting and we’ll find the deals while you check out our TV buying advice, tips, and news so you can make an informed purchasing decision.
There are a host of reasons to want a big-screen TV with ample features and high-definition image quality. The good news is that you don’t have to break the bank in order to achieve a home cinema level setup if you know where to look. That’s where we come in: Our experts have been testing TVs for decades, measuring critical aspects like black level, peak brightness, input lag, and more.
Not all TVs are made equal and some are better than others for specific use cases; an OLED screen will cost more than an LED, for example, but the darker contrast and higher picture quality is often worth the tradeoff. And don’t forget to compliment your TV with a soundbar to really expand your home cinema setup and really deliver the high octane excitement of watching your favorite teams go head-to-head.
If you’re looking to upgrade, the price difference between a 50-, 55- and 65-inch TV usually isn’t that huge, though prices start to creep upward for 75-inch-and-larger screens. It’s important to fit your screen size to your room: Don’t squeeze a 55-inch set in a bedroom where a 32-inch will do, especially for an hour or two of late-night TV.
For modern resolution, we recommend at minimum a 1080p screen, but most of us probably prefer to take advantage of all the 4K programming on streaming and cable these days. The number of inputs for game consoles and other devices also makes a difference.
Gamers considering a TV for their PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X should look for TVs with the following features:
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120Hz native refresh rate
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HDMI 2.1 ports for resolutions up to 4K 120Hz
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VRR (variable refresh rate) support
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AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync for gaming with a PC
Not all games require 4K 120Hz or VRR, but it may become the standard for most AAA games in the future, because developers love to push the envelope of hardware.
43-Inch to 60-Inch TVs
Best Overall Value
4.5
Outstanding
What Our Ratings Mean
- 5.0 – Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 – Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 – Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 – Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 – Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 – Dismal: Don’t even think about buying this product
Read Our
Editorial Mission Statement
and
Testing Methodologies.
55-inch Hisense U8 Series Smart TV
at Amazon
$998.00
Save $320.00
Our expert named the Hisense U8 the Editors’ Choice for budget TVs due to its value and performance. While the black levels aren’t as strong as you’d find in an OLED panel, this TV still has impressive brightness and color quality. It also offers a lot of features for the price, including a dedicated game mode, hands-free controls via a voice assistant, HDR+ support, and more. A $320 price drop makes this an especially good time to buy.
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Key Specs:
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4 HDMI 2.1 Ports, 1 with eARC support
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144Hz refresh rate
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QLED panel with Quantum Dot technology
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4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR+ (HDR 10, HLG) support
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Smart TV with multiple streaming platforms built-in
Best Budget
58-Inch Hisense R6 Series Smart TV
$238.00
at Walmart
$429.00
Save $191.00
A 58-inch 4K TV for less than $300? Now that’s a deal. The Hisense R6 series features High Dynamic Range (commonly known as HDR) to boost color and contrast, plus Motion Rate 120 technology which better tracks quick movements such as action scenes, though our expert hasn’t been able to test this model yet. It will be the heart of your family room entertainment system, especially since the built-in Roku TV OS gives you access to hundreds of thousands of things to watch. These features and an approachable price point make the Hisense R6 well-suited to casual consumers and those with tight budgets.
Key Specs:
Recommended by Our Editors
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60Hz refresh rate
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4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR and HDR 10 support
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3 HDMI ports (4K@60Hz), 1 with HDMI ARC support
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Roku operating system with Google Assistant built-in
The Best Deals on TVs 43-60 Inches
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
65-Inch to 86-Inch TV Deals
Best OLED Performance
4.5
Outstanding
What Our Ratings Mean
- 5.0 – Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 – Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 – Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 – Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 – Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 – Dismal: Don’t even think about buying this product
Read Our
Editorial Mission Statement
and
Testing Methodologies.
65-Inch LG Evo G4 Series 4K OLED Smart TV (2024 Model)
$2,396.99
at Amazon
$3,399.99
Save $1,003.00
Our TV expert, Will Greenwald, called the LG Evo G4 “one of the best-looking TVs you can buy” in his review bestowing our Editors’ Choice award upon it for the best OLED picture quality we’ve seen to date (and we test a lot of TVs). You can save a whopping $1,000 off retail right now. Image quality extends to gaming as well and we consider this TV to be among one of the best for gaming thanks to low input lag and a Game Optimizer mode that provides convenient access to settings to fine tune your gaming experience. If you want the best of the best in terms of OLED picture quality, look no further than the LG Evo G4.
Key Specs:
-
4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR (HDR 10, HLG) support
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4 HDMI ports, 3 HDMI 2.0 + 1 eARC
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120Hz Native refresh rate.
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OLED panel with individually lit pixels for rich black levels
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Gaming mode with AMD FreeSync Premium
Best Dual Purpose
65-Inch Samsung The Frame LS03D 4K QLED TV
$1,299.99
at Best Buy
$1,999.99
Save $700.00
This Samsung The Frame 4K TV serves twofold purposes: As an 65-inch QLED 4K TV powered by Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform and a piece of art that can display any number of digital images from your gallery on its anti-reflection matte display. If you’d like to lean more into the latter, you can purchase a frame bezel, which will make your TV look just like a work of art. Our expert reviewed the 2022 model of the Samsung The Frame 4K TV and praised the striking, customizable design and the matte screen which adds to the painting effect. One of the few cons was that this television is expensive for the picture quality, so this huge $700 discount definitely makes it worth a second look. Built-in Alexa support means you can also control this TV hands-free.
Key Specs:
-
4 HDMI Ports, 1 with eARC support
-
120Hz refresh rate
-
Art mode that displays your artwork and photos when you’re not watching TV
-
4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR (HDR 10, HLG) support
-
Smart TV with multiple streaming platforms built-in
The Best Deals on TVs 65-85 Inches
-
65″ LG OLED Evo G4 Series 4K Smart TV (2024 Model)
for
$2,396.99
(List Price $3,399.99)
-
65″ Hisense U6 Series Quantum ULED 4K Smart TV (2024 Model)
for
$449.94 -
65″ Sony Bravia 7 4K Mini LED QLED Smart TV (2024 Model)
for
$1,398.00 -
65″ Samsung S90D 4K OLED 144Hz Smart TV (2024 Model)
for
$1,497.99
(List Price $1,697.99)
-
65″ Samsung The Frame LS03D 4K QLED TV
for
$1,299.99
(List Price $1,999.99)
-
85″ Samsung Q60D Series 4K QLED Smart TV (2024 Model)
for
$1,297.99
(List Price $1,697.99)
-
98″ TCL 98Q651G 4K QLED Smart Google TV (2024 Model)
for
$1,599.99
(List Price $2,999.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
More TV Deals To Watch Out For
Hi, I’m Will Greenwald, an ISF-certified TV calibrator, THX-certified home theater expert, and PCMag’s TV reviewer. I’ve been testing TVs for over a decade, and I’m here to answer your most common questions about shopping for them. Read my answers below and feel free to reach out with any additional questions.
Which TV Brand Is the Best Value for the Money?
That’s a loaded question, because brand alone won’t tell you enough about a TV. Every brand has multiple tiers of TVs that offer different features and performance, and you really need to check the model number to know what to expect. That said, Hisense and TCL have consistently offered excellent performance for reasonable prices compared with most other brands, while LG and Samsung often have the categorically highest-end (and most expensive) flagship TVs, often with particularly sleek designs or unique aspects. To understand more about TV model numbers, I wrote a guide to major brands’ numbering conventions. They change slightly from year to year, and I’ll be updating it for 2025 TV models as more are released.
Do OLED and QLED TVs Get Massive Price Drops on Prime Day or Black Friday?
Any TV can get a massive price drop around those times. You’ll find lots of deals on QLED panels, which have been expanding from various manufacturers’ flagship LED TV lines to their midrange and even budget models. You’ll generally see fewer discounts on OLED TVs, but that’s because they’re still fairly rare.
What Is a Good Month to Buy a TV?
Any month when Amazon Prime Day is happening (usually in July and October), or November for Black Friday. January is also a prime time to buy a new TV, as most retailers will have discounts and promotions leading up to the Super Bowl. If you don’t mind buying a TV from the previous year, the entire first quarter is a good time as well, since that’s when the fanciest TVs from the year before will usually see their prices cut to make room for the newest models coming out in late spring and summer.
Which Retailers Offer the Best Discounts? What Are the Best TV Sales Happening Now?
I focus on testing and reviewing the TVs themselves to provide an informed and unbiased opinion about their quality and value, so I can’t really offer any specifics about retailer deals other than broad strokes about timing. PCMag’s deals team covers that side of the shopping experience, and updates this story monthly to surface the best available sales.
Can I Get Bundle Deals With Soundbars or Streaming Devices?
I have seen some manufacturers offer TVs bundled with a soundbar for a short period at launch or during promotions. Keep an eye on this story and our deals hub, and you’ll occasionally find a bundle featured. Remember that soundbars come in a range of price tiers just like TVs, and some simply offer extra stereo sound with a bass boost from a subwoofer, while others provide a full spatial audio experience.
How Do You Test TVs?
I test TVs using professional calibration equipment to measure the light and color that comes from the panel under different conditions, and note peak brightness, black level, contrast (peak brightness divided by black level), light bloom (any halo or haze along high-contrast edges), color accuracy, color range, and input lag. I check using the most color-accurate picture mode out of the box, which is usually the Cinema or Movie mode. You should use this mode yourself when watching movies or TV shows, because the default Standard or Vivid modes usually always skew the picture to look bluer than it should to make it seem brighter.
What Is the Best Budget Smart TV for Picture Quality
Currently, the Hisense U6N is the best picture for the price and our Editors’ Choice budget TV. It has strong contrast and accurate color, and you can often find it for around $500 for 65 inches. If you’re a gamer, though, the TCL QM6K is a better, but more expensive, choice thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate (the U6N is 60Hz) and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
About Jade Chung-Lee
Merchandising Associate
