Summary
the best low-cost televisions of 2024.. The greatest televisions for the money have a picture quality that is shockingly impressive for their pricing. While it is true that the affordable televisions described below may not have all of the sophisticated capabilities that are available on more costly OLED or QD-OLED televisions, they do an excellent job of delivering the fundamentals.
What is the one that best suits your needs? Every model on this list has been put through the tkgap Guide TV testing procedure, which involves evaluating a set for its color reproduction and accuracy, as well as its brightness and lag time on the television. In addition to that, we spend a significant amount of time working with it in order to provide you with our views based on our experiences in the actual world.
the best low-cost televisions of 2024
Having said that, we would definitely suggest looking into some of the top-tier models, such as the Roku Plus Series QLED TV or the Hisense U6K, which is undoubtedly the greatest television that costs less than $500. We would recommend that you steer clear of the really inexpensive Element or Insignia televisions since manufacturers such as TCL, Hisense, and Vizio give a better image for only a few dollars extra. Other firms like as TCL, Vizio, and Amazon also produce great budget televisions that are worth taking into consideration.
SHORT LIST OF THINGS
The following is a concise summary of the top low-cost televisions that are currently available for purchase, based on our testing and evaluations. In addition, if you want to read our comprehensive review of the best televisions available for every price range, continue scrolling down.
A COMPLETE LIST OF THE BEST TVS FOR YOUR BUDGET, Detailed
1. Hisense U6K Mini-LED TV
It is impossible to compile a list of the budget televisions that are the greatest without including the Hisense U6K. In spite of the fact that it does not possess the peak levels of brightness that the Hisense U8K does, it is equipped with a mini-LED backlight that provides improved contrast with above-average black levels and a quantum dot for color saturation. By adding support for virtual reality for consoles and Google TV, you are able to get a significant number of the most desirable features at a much reduced cost.
Because of its Mini-LED backlight technology, the U6K has much improved brightness and contrast, and it has a lesser possibility of the feared Dirty Screen Effect, which is caused by non-uniform lighting components, in comparison to the other products on the market. This is the reason why we believe it offers superior performance to all of the others. Furthermore, it makes use of Google TV, which, although having some erratic behavior, is among the most sophisticated smart TV platforms now available.
There is no better option than the Hisense U6K if you are looking for the greatest value for your money.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen size: 55, 65, 75 inches
- Screen Type: LED-LCD
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDMI ports: 4 HDMI 2.0
- Size: 57.1 x 33.1 x 3.1 inches
- Weight: 43.1 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
- Mini-LED display
- Excellent color and contrast
- 65-inch under $500
REASONS TO AVOID
- Laggy smart platform
- Slight upscaling issues
FOURTH BEST TV WITH A BUDGET
2. Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV
After concentrating for a long time on software, set-top devices, and plug-in devices, the streaming giant has now made its debut in the television set market with the Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV. This decision has proven to be a successful one. These televisions not only provide you with a remarkable amount of screen space for their starting price of $499, but they also provide you with a shockingly high level of image quality and sound, two aspects that are often the first to be sacrificed in order to save money.
What is it about this television that makes it such a deal? First of all, despite the fact that it is less expensive and has a poorer grade of construction, the screen is really rather attractive. Second, the Plus line of Roku devices uses a QLED screen, which enables the device to generate colors that are more vibrant and to achieve a greater peak brightness. It is important to avoid shifting off-axis too much since doing so would cause the color to fade; nevertheless, while you are looking front-on, it looks fantastic.
Our one is a rock-solid budget selection, and if you don’t mind making a few concessions on refresh rate (unlike the LG B3 OLED farther down on our list), this one is restricted to 60Hz; it’s a great option.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Available Screen Sizes: 55, 65, and 75 inches
- Screen Type: QLED
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDMI ports: 4 HDMI 2.0
- Size: 33.1 x 57 x 4 inches
- Weight: 36.7 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
- Excellent value
- First-rate HDR color
- Good sound
- Solid Roku TV smart interface
REASONS TO AVOID
- So-so brightness
- Only a 60 Hz refresh rate
- No HDMI 2.1 ports
THE VERY BEST OLED Television
3. LG B3 OLED
It is the most costly television that you are going to discover on our list, but the LG B3 OLED is, without a doubt, a formidable competitor in the market for inexpensive televisions. As an alternative to paying upwards of two thousand dollars on an OLED, the B3 OLED provides all of the advantages of the panel technology (and much more) at a price that is close to one thousand dollars.
For those who are seeking an OLED display with the absolute minimum of features, the A2 OLED is also a fantastic option; however, the B3 surpasses its younger sibling by including a native screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, two HDMI 2.1 connectors, and a more powerful CPU.
In terms of performance, it reaches a peak brightness of 635 nits, which is comparable to that of the Hisense and the TCL. However, it is able to cover 99.9724% of the Rec709 color space and has a color accuracy of 1.8943, which is determined by a Delta E value. These are some of the greatest statistics you are going to get at this price range, and they are perfect for gamers, cinephiles, and basically anybody else who wants a wonderful experience whenever they watch television.
Learn more about our LG B3 OLED review here.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Available Screen Sizes: 55, 65, and 77 inches
- Screen Type: OLED
- Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
- HDMI ports: 2 HDMI 2.0, 2 HDMI 2.1
- Size: 57×32.8×1.8 inches
- Weight: 52.9 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
- Excellent color performance
- Low input lag
- Top-notch smart interface
REASONS TO AVOID
- So-so brightness
- sound could be better
BEST BUDGET TVS TEST RESULTS
| TV | Peak Brightness (tested) | Delta-E (tested) | BT2020 Color Volume (tested) | Input Lag (tested) |
| LG B3 OLED | 652.80 nits | 1.8943 | 73.87% | 10.1ms |
| Roku Plus Series | 648.10 nits | 2.6011 | 80.54% | 11.5ms |
| Hisense U6K | 525.14 nits | 3.5783 | 80.98% | 10.2ms |
OTHER BUDGET TVS WE TESTED
- This television, the LG UR9000, was not well received by our reviewers due to its subpar audio and color saturation.
- CU7000 from Samsung: This ultra-budget set from Samsung should be avoided because of its low brightness and poor color saturation.
- The Samsung CU8000 has a price tag that is reasonable and a low latency, both of which are features that
- gamers will like; nevertheless, the upscaling, motion processing, and overall image performance are not as good as they may be.
- The Amazon 2-Series TV is a high-definition model that comes with a respectable smart platform that is built in; however, it performs poorly in comparison to other models.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TV FOR YOUR BUDGET
A few concessions are definitely required when purchasing a low-cost television (a brightness of 2,000 nits on a low-cost television). The answer is no, but perhaps you are now aware that it is possible to obtain the needed elements at a price that is within your budget. When it comes to your purchase of a low-cost television model, what should you be on the lookout for?
4K resolution: Because 4K resolution is so much more economical than 1080p or 720p, and because the quality of 4K resolution is so much higher, we always advocate going with 4K resolution. In the event that you are not on a tight budget, purchasing a genuine 4K television won’t even cost you a lot of money, but you will be able to observe the obvious distinction.
Screen size: Although it may not always be possible to get a premium 65-inch television for less than $500, it is still possible to purchase a 55-inch model that is of satisfactory quality. Therefore, you should not settle for a 43-inch set unless it is the appropriate size for the room.
In the event that there is one feature that we would propose, it would be high dynamic range (HDR) support. The most fundamental HDR support offers improved color, highlights that are brighter, and shadows that are richer, resulting in an overall improvement in the quality of the image. You will be able to locate a set that has Dolby Vision, which is an even better option; however, you may have to spend extra for that feature.
When it comes to connectivity, having a greater number of HDMI ports is always in your best interest. This will ensure that you do not have to uncomfortably switch plugs on the television every time you want to play a game or start a Blu-ray movie.
Consider purchasing a television set with a refresh rate of at least 60 hertz if you are searching for an economical gaming television. However, the most recent Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles are capable of achieving greater refresh rates. There is also the issue of lag time, which is another problem; thus, it is recommended that you read individual evaluations in order to locate sets that have a lag time that is less than twenty milliseconds.
Which features are worth the additional cost to purchase?
TVs that are inexpensive are fantastic. And they are. On the other hand, you could be questioning what you are missing out on by not procuring a flagship model that costs a significant amount of money. Unfortunately, there are a few things that you just cannot find on a TV model that are included in the budget category, unless you are prepared to make some adjustments to the budget.
The size of the screen is a given in this case. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get a television with a screen size of 75 inches or 85 inches for the same price as a 55-inch model. Larger displays come with a higher price tag. The law of gravity is analogous to this. Now, you can purchase a TCL 4-Series with a 75-inch screen for around the same price as a 6-Series with a 65-inch screen, but in order to obtain a larger screen size, there are trade-offs in other areas.
Pictures of the highest possible quality: It’s unfortunate, but it’s not possible to capture pictures of the highest possible quality on a budget. Although it is possible to get close (for example, the TCL 6-Series), it is impossible to achieve the same level of performance as an LG OLED or Samsung QLED TV at the same price as, for example, the TCL 5-Series. This implies that you will not be able to take advantage of the greatest contrast, color saturation, upscaling, motion handling, and speed while browsing the user interface.
The quality of the sound: Oh, we’ve all heard terrible-sounding televisions, and they have the potential to destroy the whole experience. The sound quality of today’s low-cost televisions is not one of the many things that these televisions excel at. You can anticipate a sound that is faint and tinny from 10W speakers if you are looking for anything that is really inexpensive. What is the good news? If you want to improve the sound quality of your television, you may get a very inexpensive television and then later install one of the top soundbars.
HOW DO WE CHOOSE THE BEST TVS FOR THE MONEY?
When it comes to evaluating televisions, there is more to it than just catching up with a movie. In order to determine which television sets are superior in terms of color gamut, color accuracy, and brightness, we conduct laboratory tests on each and every television. We also test for lag time, which is an important aspect of gaming. This involves measuring, down to the millisecond, the amount of time it takes for stuff to move from its original source to the screen before it is shown. In order to establish comparisons based on numbers about the quality of the display and the color, we utilized these findings.
There is additional time spent with each set for the purpose of real-world assessment, during which we examine how the outcomes of our laboratory tests transfer into more subjective performance. We also see samples from the most recent movies, specific test patterns that show the strengths and limitations of each display, and a variety of information from a variety of sources. In addition, we evaluate sets side by side. Now that we have this information, we are able to tell you which televisions have the finest visuals, the best sound, and the best watching experience.
In conclusion, we examine the smart TV capabilities and applications that are available for each television, taking into consideration everything from the design of the remote control to the voice interface.
We combine all of that information with the results of our testing in the real world, and then we compare it to the cost of the television. The end result is a number that, in our opinion, most accurately reflects the whole of that model and how well it compares to other models that are currently available with similar features. A television that received good marks five years ago would not get the same level of praise when compared to a more recent model; nonetheless, we make every effort to update our evaluations whenever newer models are made available.
Are you interested in a certain brand of television, a particular price range, or a particular screen size? See what we think are the top televisions in each category.
