All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Learn more.
time to buy a budget TV. With TVs getting better and brighter each year, and the economy doing … whatever it’s doing, investing in the best cheap TV for your money could be the perfect thing for you. Don’t just grab the first random model that pops up on Amazon, though, as some just aren’t that great.
That’s why we spend hundreds of hours testing dozens of screens of all levels to ensure that only TVs with solid performance and great daily usability made the cut. Whether you need a primary 4K HDR display for your TV room or an extra screen for the bedroom or den, this tight list of the best cheap TVs we’ve tested has what you need. For more options, check out our main Best TVs and Best Soundbars lists, and hit up our guide on How to Choose the Right TV to get the inside scoop on all your TV questions.
Updated August 2025: We’ve added the LG B5 OLED, added information about upcoming TVs, and updated links and pricing.
What does WIRED consider for the Best Cheap TVs?
The short answer is price, performance, and usability. Most regular folks who ask me about a new TV are looking for something around $500 or less. Jumping up a few hundred dollars can often get you a lot more performance, but I understand that may not be in the budget, so this list generally aims for TVs at or below that magic number. To get there, we sometimes sacrifice size, often recommending 55-inch models rather than the 65-inch size that’s becoming the industry standard. Not everyone needs a larger screen, and the larger you go, the more you’ll notice performance imperfections.
As TVs get increasingly bigger, it’s also getting harder to find good TVs smaller than 55-inches, especially if you want features like High Dynamic Range and quantum dot colors that make for a much more vibrant and impactful picture. These features often go hand-in-hand with 4K resolution, so while you may not mind getting an HDTV at smaller sizes, all the TVs we’ve recommended offer 4K resolution. Wherever possible, we look for models that offer various size options to cater to all buyers and use cases.
-
The Best Value
This Vizio TV is loaded for the money, offering advanced features like Dolby Vision HDR alongside gaming chops like VRR (variable refresh rate) and low input lag. The picture is bright and punchy, Vizio’s smart interface is simple and easy to use, and it comes in multiple sizes, from 43 to 86 inches. Because it’s a direct-lit screen without local dimming, it won’t look as good as pricier models in the dark, but the 55-inch model shown here costs around $300 or less on sale. That’s about the best deal you’ll find in TV land right now.
Specs Display type LED Refresh Rate 60 Hz HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.0 (x3), VRR, ALLM Smarts Vizio SmartCast -
The Best Upgrade
If you can stretch your budget for a better picture, this sweet TCL screen gives you performance and features that go well beyond the standard cheap TV crowd. Boasting TCL’s cutting-edge screen tech, its mini-LED display gets just about everything right, offering deep black levels, poppy HDR brightness with very little blooming, accurate colors, and a clear and vibrant screen even when seated slightly off angle. Top features include a 120-Hz native refresh rate, dual HDMI 2.1 inputs compatible with gaming features like VRR (variable refresh rate), and an intuitive Google TV interface. In short, it’s a total ringer, and the 55-inch model’s sale price usually lands around $550.
Specs Display type QLED/mini LED Refresh Rate Native 120 Hz (up to 4K@144Hz) HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.0 (x2), HDMI 2.1 (x2); VRR, ALLM Smarts Google TV
-Front-Screen-Tubi-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Parker-Hall_.png)
-
The Best Cheap OLED
-
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
-
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
-
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
-
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
The word “cheap” is a stretch here, but as we’ve come to expect from LG’s B-Series, the B5 serves up the primary benefits of OLED TVs (perfect black levels, fantastic contrast, vibrant colors, and excellent off-axis viewing) at a budget-friendly cost. It’s not as bright or stylish as the step-up C-series, but there’s enough punch to properly showcase Dolby Vision HDR, and plenty of other premium performance touches to soup up your home theater.
I was particularly entranced by the B5’s accurate colors and surprisingly great shadow detail that just seemed to get better over time. Gamers will get serious performance, with top features across all four HDMI 2.1 ports—something you won’t find in many high-end models at twice the cost (cough, Sony). Last year’s B4 is similarly appointed, while the C4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a better deal on sale while it lasts. But the B5 is already a solid value that will only improve as the price drops.
Specs Display type OLED Refresh Rate 120 Hz HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x4); VRR, ALLM Smarts webOS -
-
The Best Smart TV
Roku’s decision to jump into the TV business has paid off, mixing the brand’s brilliantly intuitive smart interface with impressive picture quality, especially in its top two models. The Plus Series Roku TV is the goldilocks option for value shoppers, offering quantum dots for vibrant colors and full-array local dimming for rich black levels. Extra smarts like a voice-search remote and support for Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant round out its bona fides for a versatile display with plenty of brains. This older model is getting harder to find (we’ll be testing the new one soon), but it’s a great buy on a good sale.
Specs Display type QLED Refresh Rate 60 Hz HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR 10/10+, Hybrid Log-Gamma Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.0 (x4); ALLM Smarts Roku OS
-
The Best Cheap Fire TV
The Hisense U6QF comes with mini-LED backlighting for excellent black levels and features Hisense’s excellent ULED technology for great colors. This 55-inch model is often priced under $600, and it’s worth the extra cash when you can find it on sale. A 144-Hz refresh rate makes it an excellent gaming TV for everything from getting the most out of your PS5 to keeping pace with gaming PCs, and the built-in Fire TV interface is more than fine for streaming your favorite TV shows and movies, despite not being as easy to use as Roku or Google TVs. On picture quality alone, this competes with models that cost about twice as much, which is impressive enough for most living rooms. — Parker Hall
Specs Display type QLED/mini LED Refresh Rate 120 Hz (Up to 144 Hz) HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.1 (x2), 2.0 (x2); VRR, ALLM Smarts Fire TV -
A Cheaper Google TV
If the QM6K is too pricey but you still want Google TV, this older Q6 could be a good alternative. The model name is a bit of a misnomer, as TCL added several technologies to the latest model. The Q6 lacks local dimming, so it won’t look nearly as good as the QM6K in the dark, and it only offers a 60-Hz screen. Still, its mix of poppy quantum dot colors, breezy streaming, and handy features (including some good gaming extras) makes it a solid affordable TV, especially since you can often get a 55-inch model for under $300.
Specs Display type QLED Refresh Rate 60 Hz HDR Support Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, HLG Connections/Gaming HDMI 2.0 (x3); VRR, ALLM Smarts Google TV
Cheap TVs We’re Testing Soon
We’re constantly testing new TVs to make sure we recommend the very best options. The TVs below are currently in our “to test” queue. While we can’t recommend them yet, they’re good candidates for this list based on previous testing.
Roku Plus Series (2025): The original Plus Series impressed us with its mix of solid black levels and vibrant quantum dot colors. This year’s model is expected to be even better with the addition of mini LED backlighting, which should equate to even better black levels and less light bloom for more potent contrast.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
Source: Wired.
Leave a Reply