The Best Cheap TVs for 2021
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 looking 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 can suit nearly any budget.
We generally consider "budget" TVs to be less than $1,000 for a 65-inch screen. Don't worry; that's on the high end, and there are plenty of options out there for a fraction of that price. Larger TVs are more expensive, and stepping down to a 55- or 50-inch model will bring the price down considerably, even for the same model line. If you want a 42-inch TV for the basement, you can expect to spend closer to pocket change than a grand.
The Top Budget TV Brands: Not What You'd Think
The biggest names in TVs include LG, Samsung, Sony, and other brands with fairly massive global presences. Big names don't always mean the best values, however. While we've seen some incredible TVs from those manufacturers, they're almost all flagship models that cost a few thousand dollars each. Their less expensive TVs are far less impressive, and generally much less promoted.
See How We Test TVs
The best brands for budget TVs might be unfamiliar to you: Hisense and TCL. These Chinese companies have made inroads in the United States over the last few years, and have carved out a space for themselves in the TV market with very affordable models that offer surprisingly good picture quality. They occupy the land Vizio used to dominate, which Vizio has somewhat ceded while claiming its own dominance in the midrange TV market.
Time to Go 4K
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. You might be able to find a smaller TV that's still 1080p, but most screens on the market will be in 4K. With that in mind, we recommend you don't go any lower than 4K when buying.
Simply put, there is no reason not to get a 4K TV at this point. It offers a plethora of advantages, and no longer carries a premium price. Not only is 4K sharper, but 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.
Everything's Connected
Like 4K, smart TV platforms are now basically universal even for budget TVs. If you get a new TV, it will have some way to watch Netflix on it, and probably many other streaming services, too. Thanks to Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku TV, any television manufacturer can slot a connected interface into their product without creating it themselves. This is part of how Hisense and TCL have made such strong gains in the budget TV market; they rely on Roku TV and (for some Hisense models) Android TV, which are effectively prebuilt packages from Roku and Google that let them put a plethora of apps and services on their TVs with little development on the manufacturers' parts.
You Still Get What You Pay For
Cheaper TVs generally don't get as bright, and have higher black levels that result in much lower contrast ratios. They also often don't have nearly as wide color gamuts, and usually are a bit thicker and look less streamlined.
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