Budget-friendly TVs often make compromises compared with higher-end counterparts, but you can still get a good-looking, feature-filled model for less than $1,000 if you know where to look—and you should start here. I’m a certified TV calibrator and THX home theater expert, and I test every TV I review using specialized equipment to measure its brightness, contrast, color accuracy, color range, and input lag. The Fire TV-powered Hisense U65QF is the best budget TV on the market in terms of picture quality, boasting a significantly brighter panel than comparably priced options. If you’re searching for a 75-inch TV for under $1,000 or want to spend a fraction of that on a decent TV for a guest bedroom, I also have options for you. Read on for the best budget-friendly TVs I’ve tested, followed by a buying guide to help you make informed decisions while shopping.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
November 17, 2025: With this update, we added the Hisense U65QF and removed the Hisense U7QN. We also updated the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and Roku Plus Series entries to the latest versions. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our last update, we reviewed and evaluated three new TVs for potential inclusion in this roundup and our other TV roundups. We currently have three TVs in PC Labs for evaluation, from LG, Panasonic, and TCL.
- Affordable
- Bright, colorful picture
- 144Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
- Apple AirPlay
- Some light bloom
- No hands-free voice control
The Hisense U65QF is simply the best budget TV we’ve tested so far, and easily the brightest. It’s the first cheap TV to exceed 1,000 nits in my testing, when 600 to 700 nits is usually the most you should expect in this price range. Its color performance is also excellent, and while it doesn’t have hands-free voice control or Google Cast support, it does allow for Apple AirPlay streaming.
Anyone shopping on a budget: This is a great all-around TV that you can often find for under $700, even in 65-inch sizes. Its picture quality is a solid step above comparably priced TVs.
Gamers: If you play games, especially PC games with an AMD GPU, the U65QF is well-equipped for your needs. It has a 144Hz native refresh rate and supports variable refresh rate (VRR) with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
Privacy-conscious Alexa users: If you use Alexa but don’t necessarily want a mic always listening for commands in your living room, the U65QF is a good fit. Its Fire TV smart TV platform lets you access Alexa by pressing a button on the remote and speaking into it, but unlike many other TVs, it doesn’t have a far-field microphone array for hands-free use. It’s less convenient, but also less intrusive.
Panel Type
LED
Screen Size
65 inches
Resolution
3,840 by 2,160
Video Inputs
HDMI, Composite, RF, USB
HDR
Dolby Vision, HDR-10
HDMI Ports
4
Streaming Services
Yes
Screen Brightness
1024 nits
Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Input Lag (1080p120)
4.6 ms
Input Lag (4K60)
13.1 ms
AMD FreeSync
FreeSync Premium Pro
Nvidia G-Sync
None
Learn More
Hisense U65QF Review
Best for Hands-Free Voice Control
TCL QM6K
- Strong contrast with deep blacks
- Accurate colors
- Hands-free Google Assistant
- Supports Apple AirPlay and Google Cast
- 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
- Not very bright
- Color gamut could be wider
The TCL QM6K is the best affordable Google TV, and while it isn’t very bright, it’s surprisingly well-equipped. It has hands-free Google Assistant, Google Cast, and Apple AirPlay, plus some high-end gaming features.
Anyone who wants hands-free voice control: If you want to control your TV and smart home devices with your voice, the QM6K is one of the cheapest options with hands-free Google Assistant support.
Gamers: The QM6K’s 144Hz refresh rate with VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro makes it particularly well-suited for gaming.
Panel Type
LED
Screen Size
65 inches
Resolution
3,840 by 2,160
Video Inputs
HDMI, RF, USB
HDR
Dolby Vision, HDR-10
HDMI Ports
4
Streaming Services
Yes
Screen Brightness
668 nits
Contrast Ratio
1,670,000:1
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Input Lag (1080p120)
14.6 ms
AMD FreeSync
FreeSync Premium Pro
Nvidia G-Sync
None
Learn More
TCL QM6K Review
- Inexpensive
- Good color performance
- Dim picture
- High input lag
- No hands-free Alexa
4K might be the standard TV resolution, but it isn’t as vital on smaller screens as it is on bigger ones. The 40-inch Amazon Fire TV 2-Series is a mere 1080p, but it still looks crisp and colorful. More importantly, it’s very cheap, costing a fraction of the other models on this list. The trade-off, besides resolution, is that it’s also the dimmest of the bunch, and it doesn’t have hands-free Alexa. Amazon has launched a newer version that we haven’t yet tested, but that means this 2022 model is even cheaper while it’s still available.
People who want the cheapest TV possible: If you need a new TV and want to spend the bare minimum, this one is worth consideration. Just temper your expectations.
Extra rooms that could use a TV: We don’t recommend it as a main TV for your home, but if you want a really inexpensive screen in your garage or a spare room, it gets the job done.
Panel Type
LED
Screen Size
40 inches
Resolution
1080p
Video Inputs
HDMI, USB, RF
HDR
HDR-10
HDMI Ports
3
Streaming Services
Yes
Screen Brightness
252 nits
Black Level
0.06 cd/m^2
Contrast Ratio
4,200:1
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Input Lag (1080p120)
27 ms
AMD FreeSync
None
Nvidia G-Sync
None
Learn More
Amazon Fire TV 2-Series (40-Inch) Review
We haven’t tested the newest version of Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED yet, but its predecessor was a decent TV that offered strong color performance and hands-free Amazon Alexa functionality for a reasonable price. This new model is similarly equipped and likely has a comparable if not better picture (and hopefully a brighter one, as that was our major complaint with the previous version).
Alexa users: If you want to control your TV and smart home with your voice, especially if you already have Echo smart speakers in other rooms of the house, this should be on your radar. It’s currently the cheapest TV Amazon offers with hands-free Alexa.
Roku’s smart TV platform focuses on making media streaming simple and accessible, with an interface that isn’t cluttered with numerous ads and algorithm-generated recommendations. The Roku Plus Series is the company’s midrange TV line, featuring a QLED and mini-LED panel that should make it significantly more capable than the low-end Select Series, while staying well below the $ 1,000 mark for a 65-inch screen. While we haven’t tested the current Roku Plus Series, the previous generation earned four stars, and the latest model is likely to perform just as well, if not better.
Less tech-savvy users: If you or a loved one isn’t proficient at (or simply doesn’t like) navigating menus laden with countless content suggestions, Roku is the platform to use. Its basic layout and big tiles make it easy to just jump into your streaming service of choice without any hassle.
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The Best Cheap TVs for 2025
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Buying Guide: The Best Cheap TVs for 2025
What Is the Best Cheap TV Brand?
The classic big Japanese and Korean brands you’re familiar with, such as LG, Samsung, and Sony, offer some impressive high-end models, but their cheaper TVs seldom impress. Instead, Chinese companies Hisense and TCL have effectively captured the budget-priced TV segment, offering inexpensive and feature-rich options with surprisingly good pictures for the price. Most of our favorite budget TVs from the last few years have come from these two companies.
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 can still find smaller TVs that are 1080p, but most screens on the market are 4K. Only one TV on this list, the Amazon Fire TV 2-Series, is 1080p, and I recommend it only if you’re looking to spend as little as possible to furnish a secondary space, such as a basement, garage, or guest bedroom.
With that in mind, I generally recommend you buy a 4K TV. They no longer demand a premium price, and they’re almost universally better than any 1080p screen you can buy. In addition to being sharper, 4K TVs are more likely to support high dynamic range (HDR), which means they can display brighter and more vibrant colors 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. Due to the availability of Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Roku TV, any television manufacturer can easily integrate a connected interface into their product. This is part of how Hisense and TCL have achieved such strong gains in the budget TV market; they rely on prebuilt Google TV or Roku TV packages, which eliminate the need for internal development effort. The majority of TVs on this list use one of these three third-party smart TV platforms.
How PCMag Tests TVs
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, which result in much lower contrast ratios, and they don’t have nearly as wide a color range. Moreover, the devices are usually a bit thicker and typically look less streamlined than midrange and high-end offerings.
Recommended by Our Editors
Near the high end of the budget range, you can find some excellent TVs with fairly bright panels, deep blacks, wide color gamuts, 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 I’ve tested here.
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.
